I'll Point You Home
by Saravis
Summary: Snape and OC Fic. Twelve years ago, Rosemarie had a romance with Severus Snape. What happens when she comes back into his life with a few surprises? Chapter 10 now available for your reading enjoyment.
1. un!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Really. I'm a poor, starving college student with three cents and a coupon for free fries at McDonalds that I found in the couch last week. Instead of writing papers, I write abysmally bad Harry Potter Fan Fiction that would make J.K. Rowling scream in horror. Please don't sue me.  
  
A/N: I know it sucks. I know it's horribly cliched, and the only reason why I'm posting it is because my friends are making me. Please be gentle, cause I'm scared as all hell to post this. I've written a lot more than what I'm posting, but I just thought I'd test the waters to start with. Really, it's your standard fanfic, with some hotness thrown in. I enjoy reading these as they take valuable time away from my actually doing homework. So please read it, try not to scream too loudly and bludgeon yourself and tell me what you think.  
  
Never in her whole existence had Rosemarie Bacall felt so conflicted. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a symbol of security to her, and some of Rosemarie's happiest memories were of her days as a student there. But now she was a professor, not a student, and Rosemarie was certain that this experience at Hogwarts would be nothing like her first. In spite of her misgivings, she had promised Albus Dumbledore. And there was the matter of Simon and Emma. It was time they received proper training- something she had been unable to follow through on in the past few years. Rosemarie could recall countless conversations with her sister Helen on the subject.  
  
"If those two don't receive some proper instructions, they will end up no better than Squibs." Helen admonished in that tone of voice she used on the children when they had been riding broomsticks through the house.  
  
"I realize this Helen. But there is really nothing I can do about it. You could always train them yourself you know." was Rosemarie's standard response to her sister's scoldings.  
  
"Oh yes. Let me train them, when we have among us a woman who could have been an Auror, had it not been for that lying, traitorous, git you almost married. Honestly, Rosie, I don't know what gets into you sometimes."  
  
That was the closest the two of them had ever come to mentioning him. Of course he would be there. That was where most of her apprehensions lay. If it wasn't for her promise to Dumbledore, and the twins, Rosemarie would have gotten right off the Hogwarts Express, and gone back to working as a barmaid in the Leaky Cauldron. Rosemarie sighed, and looked out of the window in her compartment, allowing her mind to go back to the conversation she had with her children the night before.  
  
Simon and Emma were twins, and while their appearances were similar, their personalities were as dissimilar as they could possibly be. Simon had thick, dark hair that was almost always in his eyes, which were such a deep, dark brown that they looked almost black. Simon was constantly-and unintentionally-getting himself into trouble. It took all of Rosemarie's resolve not to laugh, and maintain her stern look, when he would troop back into the house with polka dots all over his face.  
  
Where Simon was loud, Emma was quiet. She had the same dark hair as her brother, but she took after her mother in that the hair was in a constant state of poof ball. No matter how hard Emma and Rosemarie tried, neither of them could control their hair for any given length of time. The only difference between Emma's appearance and her brother's was that Emma had deep blue eyes. Emma was very shy around strangers, but she had a temper that no one suspected. Once, Simon had broken Emma's favorite magical tea set, and she had gotten so mad, she had put an invisibility spell on his broomstick and refused to tell him where it was for a week.  
  
"Mum! Does Harry Potter really go to Hogwarts? I'm only asking because Emma fancies him, and she wants to get his autograph!" Simon burst out as the children ran into the house. Emma suddenly turned a bright shade of red and glared back at her brother. "Simon, what have I told you about making fun of your sister? And I do not want the two of you treating Harry Potter like a freak show. He is a student just like you two, and I want you to treat him that way, understood?" Simon and Emma both nodded quickly, hoping to go back outside and play. "Now, do you remember what I said about what to call me at the school and in classes?"  
  
Simon sighed. "Yes, Mum. We're supposed to call you Professor Bacall in classes and if anyone asks, you're our Aunt, because we haven't got a father and people will think it's unsuitable for an unmarried mother to be teaching their children. Honestly, mother, sometimes I think you consider us babies."  
  
Rosemarie gave her son a horrified look. "Simon! I never said that! I just thought things would be easier for you and Emma if..."  
  
"I know, Mum." Simon interrupted. "But Em and I are eleven. We know all about that sort of thing."  
  
Rosemarie had no response to that.  
  
"Can we go back and play now?" Simon asked, sensing that his mother had nothing more to say.  
  
"Yes. Go on. The train leaves at 11:00 tomorrow morning, and I want the two of you ready by 9:30, alright?" Rosemarie sighed, as she realized the last part of her speech had been directed at the door. The children had already disappeared back outside. Rosemarie had never told the children much about their father-something that bothered her constantly. Simon and Emma just assumed that he had left one day, mostly because that was what she told them. The truth was that she had left him. Even now, almost twelve years later, Rosemarie felt her face get hot at the thought of how he had used her. And hurt her. Yet, here she was, on the Hogwarts Express, headed right for him again. When Rosemarie was being honest with herself-something she was doing less and less these days-she admitted her reason for insisting the children call her Professor was not simply to save them from ridicule. The man wasn't a complete moron-she supposed even a cretin like him could do basic addition and subtraction. It wouldn't take him long to figure out whose children they were, and if Rosemarie thought she was in trouble now, things would be much worse if he knew. Did Dumbledore know? She suspected he did, considering he knew the children were hers and that she had been engaged to that...  
  
Rosemarie was startled out of her thoughts as the Express came to a sudden stop. It took her a moment to realize that the train had arrived at the station. Simon and Emma had followed the rest of the students off the train, and were now looking at the seven-foot tall form of Hagrid with awe. Rosemarie gathered her things quickly, and hurried of the train. Hagrid had his back to her, and was directing the first year students to the lake where a string of boats were waiting to take them across. "Firs' years this way!" He called out happily.  
  
"Hello, Hagrid." Rosemarie said excitedly. Hagrid had been one of her favorite people at Hogwarts. Hagrid turned around and looked at her confusedly for a moment, when suddenly recognition dawned on his face. "Rosie!" He said as he gave her a bone-crunching hug. "What are yeh doin' here!"  
  
"Well Hagrid, it's a bit of a surprise actually. I suppose Professor Dumbledore will tell everyone tonight at dinner." She paused uncertainly. "Do you know how I'm supposed to get to the school?"  
  
Hagrid grinned at her. "Are yeh sure you doan want ter ride across the lake with me an' the firs' years?" He winked. "Dumbledore said the new professor was supposed ter take a coach up ter the back entrance, and I guess that must be yeh!" He led Rosemarie over to the first coach in line, and put her bags in the coach for her. "See yeh at the sortin'!" Hagrid waved as the coach pulled away from the station.  
  
Rosemarie barely remembered the ride from the station. All she could think about was what to say when she saw him. She hadn't spoken to him since that night. He hadn't even tried to find her; not that she wanted him to find her, but he could have at least put in the effort. Rosemarie felt sick as her coach pulled up to the back entrance of the school. The last time she had been there was a cold, rainy evening in October, and she had been a week from her due date. As the memories came flooding back, she gathered her bags, and walked miserably up the steps. Albus Dumbledore was there waiting for her. "Rosemarie. We are delighted that you've decided to join the teaching staff here. At your request, I have kept your hiring a secret. You can leave your bags here for the time being. Now, why don't we go into dinner, and then afterwards Minerva can show you to your office and room." Rosemarie was dying to ask where he was, but she didn't dare. She simply followed Dumbledore into the dining hall, up to the teacher's table. Rosemarie let out a sigh of relief-he wasn't there yet. Just as she was about to ask where he was, the doors of the Great Hall burst open, and the first years entered with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid. Professor McGonagall announced the beginning of the sorting ceremony, and brought out the hat. Rosemarie watched as the first years stepped up to the stool, and placed the hat on their head. Simon approached the hat nervously, and waited patiently until the hat called out "Gryffindor!" A loud cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table, and a grin spread across Simon's face as he made his way over to his new house. Emma was next, and she looked as though she was about to be sick. Rosemarie could swear she was shaking as she sat down on the stool and waited for the hat to sort her. "Ravenclaw!" The hat announced, and this time the loud cheer came from the direction of the Ravenclaw table.  
  
Rosemarie barely paid attention to the rest of the sorting, devoting all her attention to looking for him. Where was he? Had he been fired? The last student was sorted, and after the applause died down, Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his traditional first day speech. "Welcome everyone to another year at Hogwarts! I would like to take this opportunity to tell you all how pleased I am to see you all back, and in the case of the new students, I hope you do as well at Hogwarts as the other students. Before we start in on the feast, I would like to introduce Professor Bacall, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, to you all." Rosemarie stood to acknowledge the applause, but as soon as she did, she realized she had made a grave mistake. He had entered into the hall during the sorting, and was now staring at her with a look that wavered somewhere in between incredulity and disgust. Rosemarie found herself staring into the eyes of Severus Snape.  
  
Shaking, Rosemarie sat back down as quickly as possible and engaged herself in conversation with Professor Sprout who was sitting to her left. "Professor, I hear you have a rare breed of puffpods growing in Greenhouse 4." And that was it-Professor Sprout spent the entire meal discussing the difference between the European variety of puffpods versus the rarer, African puffpod. Rosemarie was bored out of her skull, but at least she could spend the remainder of the meal avoiding him. She could tell by his expression that he had no idea she was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, in fact, she was a little surprised that he hadn't gotten the job considering...  
  
Rosemarie had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, that she didn't notice that the students were now leaving the Great Hall. Professor Sprout was long gone, having sensed that Rosemarie's interest in Herbology was nothing more than pretense. Professor McGonagall was attempting to get her attention, and Rosemarie could tell from the look on her face that she had been trying for several minutes. "Rosemarie? Are you alright?" She asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Oh, yes thank you Professor McGonagall. I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired from the journey."  
  
"Please, dear, you're a professor now-please call me Minerva. Well, come along now, we'll collect your bags and I'll show you your rooms." Rosemarie followed Professor McGonagall that out of the Great Hall and down towards the back entrance where she had left her bags. Even in her head, she couldn't think of Professor McGonagall as Minerva. "Albus and I are so thankful we have finally gotten a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Lupin was by far the best we had, and Mad Eye Moody would have been excellent had it not been for..." McGonagall stopped speaking suddenly and gave a sharp cough. "Yes, well. As I was saying, all the staff here are very pleased you decided to take the job."  
  
Did she dare say it? "All the staff, Minerva?"  
  
At this, McGonagall's face went bright red, as though she had suddenly remembered something that would have made her previous comment embarrassing. "Yes, dear that's what I was saying...ah! Here's the staff room-would you like to go inside and have a look around?" She opened the door to let the two of them in, only to realize that two professors were already inside talking.  
  
"Albus, why was I not consulted as to her hiring? You know how I feel..." Professor Snape's voice rang out angrily.  
  
"Severus, I have told you time and time again that the past is what it is- none of us can change that. Perhaps it is time you moved on. She obviously is ready to, considering she has agreed to take up a position here." Dumbledore answered calmly. "There are many things you do not know, Severus."  
  
"She is a deceitful harpy, and it would be better for everyone involved if we simply said there was a mistake, and asked her to leave."  
  
Professor McGonagall shut the door quickly, her face even redder than it was before. "Ahem, that Professor Trelawney must be up to her old tricks again. Why don't we go see your room now?"  
  
Rosemarie bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Really, Minerva, it's alright..."  
  
"Yes, yes, come along this way. I hope you find your room comfortable. This castle can get awfully drafty at night." McGonagall was about to drag her away, as the staff room door opened. Professor Snape stormed out of the room, and nearly walked into Rosemarie.  
  
Rosemarie felt as though her stomach was suddenly loaded down with Hagrid's treacle fudge, but she managed to maintain her composure. "Hello, Severus." She said calmly.  
  
His face had gone dead white, and his black eyes glittered angrily. "Rosemarie. I hope Albus knows what he's doing in hiring you. We can't have you running off in the middle of the night when there are students to be taught." His voice was icy, and he was looking at her with the utmost loathing.  
  
Rosemarie's eyes flashed angrily back at him. "I see you haven't lost any of your acidity over the years. However, I seem to remember you being much more adept at insulting people. Of course, I suppose all that time you spent serving the Dark Lord took a toll on your intelligence."  
  
He simply smirked at her, his eyes still glinting. "My, my, Rosemarie. It appears you finally grew a spine and learned some infantile insults to go with it. I trust you won't be spending your class time provoking Peeves and thinking of ways to booby-trap my office like the sixth years."  
  
Rosemarie felt her face growing hot, and her hands were clenched at her sides. Rosemarie hated him so much in that moment that she nearly slapped him across the face just to get rid of that hateful smirk. "Oh I've learned a lot of things Severus." Her voice was as icy as his was, and it took all her strength to maintain her composure. "Particularly not to align myself with a man who has such a large inferiority complex, that he torments his students. A man who lies to his fiancée, and betrays the one person who trusts him. A man who is so vile, so disgusting, that he is no better than those who killed innocent people, all in an attempt to..."  
  
Rosemarie was cut off by Dumbledore's calm voice. If she hadn't been so infuriated, Rosemarie would have sworn his voice was tinged with amusement. "Well, it's getting quite late. I think it's time we all went to sleep, don't you Minerva?"  
  
McGonagall nodded her head sharply. "Come along, Rosemarie. I had better show you to your rooms now." She said stiffly, before bodily dragging Rosemarie down the corridor with her.  
  
Almost from the exact moment Dumbledore had interrupted them, Rosemarie had been horrified at her behavior. Classes hadn't even started, and already she was insulting one of the other professors right in front of the Headmaster. "Bloody broomsticks, Minerva! What have I just done?" She moaned as soon as they were out of earshot.  
  
Minerva McGonagall's mouth, which had been set in a thin line, twitched into the beginnings of a smile. "If there had been students around, I have to say that I think your insults would not have gone over so well with Albus-particularly those that hinted at a close relationship between Severus and the Dark Lord. However," she paused, her eyes twinkling at Rosemarie "I have to say, that you were quite inspired my dear. Ah, here's your room. Your office is connected to your chambers-we find it is easier on the professors that way. It will be the door on the right when you walk in." McGonagall began to walk towards her own room, then stopped as though there was something she had forgotten to mention. "I really must say again how pleased I am that you've come here to teach. I truly feel that your tenure here will be most...exciting." She once again allowed her eyes to twinkle at a very confused Rosemarie for a moment before continuing back down the hall.  
  
Rosemarie let herself into her room, and wearily set down her bags. Her room was small, but the fire burning in the grate gave it a cozy feel. A large four poster bed was to the left of the fireplace, and sapphire velvet curtains adorned both the bed and the solitary window. Her trunks were sitting beneath the window, which had a spectacular view of the Whomping Willow. A squashy blue armchair had been placed in front of the fireplace, and a House Elf had been thoughtful enough to put a footstool in front of it. Rosemarie decided to leave her unpacking for later and just crawl into bed. Once she had finally settled into bed, she couldn't sleep. No matter how hard Rosemarie tried, her body refused to relax. She was worried about her classes, and how she would perform as a professor. She was worried about Simon and Emma-had they eaten enough at dinner? Were they warm enough in their dormitories? Most of all, she was worried about her confrontation with Severus. She was infuriated at herself that she had allowed him to provoke her in front of Minerva and Dumbledore. Yet she grinned when she remembered the expression on his face as he ran into her in the corridor. Horror mixed with...what? Disgust, anger and there was something else lurking behind his eyes. Something she hadn't seen in years. As Rosemarie finally settled down to sleep, she thought about Severus' eyes, and how for one fleeting second, his eyes had been filled with pure, unmasked, lust. 


	2. deux!

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Never will. Mores the pity.  
  
Rosemarie was dreading that her first day of classes would be the absolute worst in Hogwarts' history-she was certain that everything that could go wrong in her first lessons would. She had visions of the students from hell- all clothed in Slytherin robes for some reason-taking over her class and hanging students-mostly in Hufflepuff robes-from the ceilings. Rosemarie barely got through breakfast; she ate hardly anything, and the little that she did eat tasted like straw. Her first class of the morning was with the Gryffindor sixth years, and for a moment Rosemarie considered handing in her resignation to Dumbledore, and going home. "Don't be ridiculous, Rosemarie." She berated herself. "Honestly, you're being a child over this. Severus was right when he commented on your infantile defense tactics last night." It wasn't until Rosemarie remembered exactly what he said to her the night before, that she realized she hadn't thought about Severus at all that morning. Come to think of it, he hadn't been at breakfast that morning. "If I can just avoid him for the rest of the year, everything will be fine. I can do this." She told herself over and over again. She walked into the classroom, confident in her ability to avoid Severus Snape, and teach a classroom full of Gryffindor sixth years.  
  
Rosemarie walked to the front of the classroom, and faced her students with a smile on her face. Each of the students regarded her warily, and judging from their past history of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors, she didn't blame them. "Good Morning! I know you've studied Boggarts, Grindylows, and" here Rosemarie allowed her smile to get bigger "Cornish Pixies." She was gratified to hear some snickers come from the class. "Also, in spite of the...unusual circumstances surrounding Professor Moody, I know that you've covered some of the curses as well." Rosemarie paused, and grinned at her class. "I thought that this year, we would perhaps work a little with both creatures and curses, and I can teach you the defenses that will come in handy in all your experiences with them. Rosemarie paused uncomfortably for a moment; the students were all staring at her and waiting for her to say something. "To be perfectly honest, while I have worked a lot with the Dark Arts, I'm unsure of the best way to teach the defenses to you." She smiled sheepishly. "Really, I'm about as talented at teaching as Peeves is at keeping quiet." The students all laughed at this, and Rosemarie began to relax. "If you have any questions, or suggestions about the class I'd be more than happy to hear them."  
  
Seamus Finnigan got a mischievous glint in his eye. "We can ask you anything about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"  
  
"Anything, Mr. Finnigan." Rosemarie smiled at him.  
  
"Well, in that case, can you tell us how to get through a potions lecture without making Professor Snape go ape shi..."  
  
"Seamus!" Hermione interrupted him quickly, amidst the class' laughter. "Watch your mouth in class!"  
  
"Sorry, Professor." Seamus grinned at her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Seamus, I missed that last bit of your question." She grinned back at him. "But I believe you were asking me how to get through a potions class without making Professor Snape blinking mad?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am I was."  
  
"I was unaware that the art of Potions was a dark art-particularly, the area involving dealing with one's professor."  
  
"Well it isn't unless Snape is teaching the class. The miserable git makes our lives unbearable." Ron muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Rosemarie to hear.  
  
"Ronald Weasley." Rosemarie put a stern look on her face. "Regardless of the fact that I too have many complaints with Professor Snape, I cannot allow that remark to pass without a reprimand." The whole class looked at her with expressions of horror on their faces. "So consider yourself reprimanded."  
  
"Professor?" Harry looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean by many complaints? Do you have rows with him as much as we do?"  
  
"Who doesn't?" Rosemarie thought to herself while taking a minute to think of a suitably democratic response. "Professor Snape is a talented potions professor, and in terms of his teaching, I have a great deal of respect for him. However," the faces of her students suddenly perked up "even people who respect each other disagree on certain subjects." Concealing a grin at the looks of disappointment her students were exchanging, Rosemarie returned to the task of teaching the class. "Does anyone else have any questions for me?"  
  
Seamus raised his hand again. "Was Professor Snape always such a miserable git, or did he get that way as he got older?"  
  
As the weeks passed by, Rosemarie settled comfortably into a routine. For the most part, her students liked her, especially after hearing whispers from the Gryffindor sixth years that she hated Professor Snape as much as they did. The Slytherins, even, paid attention in class, and Rosemarie had been informed by "a reliable source" (who also went by the name Seamus Finnigan) that Draco Malfoy had said she was "mad sexy, and wouldn't mind giving her a good snog." Rosemarie had also managed to avoid Snape as much as possible; she ate her meals at the   
  
opposite end of the table from him, and never went anywhere near the Potions Dungeon or Staff Room when she knew he was there.  
  
Wednesday was the day that Rosemarie had all her first year classes. The Slytherins were at 8:30, and then Rosemarie had a half-hour before a class of seventh year Ravenclaws came in at 10:00. She had the Gryffindors at 11:00 then lunch. Rosemarie had half an hour after lunch before the Hufflepuff first years came in at 1:00, and they were followed directly by the Ravenclaws at 2:00. The Gryffindors had Potions right before her class, and without fail, everyday Simon would come into class scowling. His best friend, Roger Harvey informed her it was because Professor Snape seemed to have some personal vendetta against Simon. Rosemarie suspected it was because Snape knew Simon was her "nephew", and his malice towards Simon was really directed at Rosemarie. She had no proof, and if she ever tried to say anything about it, Snape would just laugh in her face. Rosemarie had just dismissed the Hufflepuffs, and was preparing for her next class, when a sobbing Emma, flanked by her two best friends, Kate McCray and Julia Parfitt, burst into the room. She threw herself at Rosemarie, and buried her face in her mother's robes. "What happened? Emma, what's wrong? I need you to tell me what's wrong." Rosemarie asked anxiously.  
  
"It's Professor Snape, Professor." Kate piped up. "Emma answered a question wrong, and he just started yelling at her."  
  
"He said she was a poor excuse for a Hogwarts student, and that if he had ever given his Potions Professor such an idiotic response when he was a student, he would have been whipped like a filthy muggle, and given detention." Julia said over Emma's sobs. "He told her she was quite   
  
possibly the stupidest student in Hogwarts history, and he took away twenty points from Ravenclaw...Professor? Are you alright?"  
  
Rosemarie's face had gone dead white, and her eyes were flashing with anger. Emma looked up at her mother, and thought to herself that she had never seen her mother this mad. "Are you sure this is what he said?" Rosemarie asked in a low, barely controlled voice.  
  
"Yes, Professor." Kate and Julia whispered.  
  
Ginny Weasley just happened to be passing in the halls, and Rosemarie called out to her. "Miss. Weasley! Would you do me a favor? I just remembered some...pressing matters I have to discuss with Professor Snape, and I was hoping you would watch my class for me for just a few minutes."  
  
"Certainly, Professor." Ginny answered quickly. She later told the rest of the Gryffindors that she had never thought Professor Bacall could ever look that angry, and Ron, Harry and Hermione, recounting what they had seen when Professor Bacall came into their potions class, said they could believe it.  
  
Rosemarie knelt down, and gave Emma a hug, before standing back up and addressing her class. "Everyone! I have to leave the class for a few minutes, and while I'm gone Miss Weasley will be in charge. I want you to listen to her, and treat her with the same respect you would me." She looked around at the class once, before striding angrily from the classroom towards the Potions Dungeons. She had never been so furious in her entire life-how dare he say those things to an eleven year old! Emma may have answered a question wrong, but that was no reason for him to go out of his way to be so cruel. How could she have ever been in love with a man who would treat a child with such malice? These thoughts revolved around in her head, and kept Rosemarie's anger level at boiling. She burst into the Potions classroom, letting the doors slam against the wall. Snape had his class of Slytherin and Gryffindor sixth years, and each one of them turned to see who had entered the room. "Professor Snape, may I speak to you in the hall for a moment?" Rosemarie asked, her voice saccharine-sweet.  
  
"Professor Bacall, in case you are suffering from a sudden attack of blindness, I might remind you that I have a class at this moment." His voice dripped with acrimony.  
  
"I have no qualms about speaking to you in front of your class, Professor." Rosemarie was quickly losing her patience. "I'm going to say what I have to say right now."  
  
Snape just rolled his eyes at the Slytherins, and was slightly put out when he noticed that none of them would look at him. Even Draco Malfoy, who could be counted on for insults on any occasion, refused to look back at him. His attention was captured by the very angry, and quite frankly, stunning Professor who was currently glaring at Snape. "Very well, Professor, you have five minutes." He followed Rosemarie out of the classroom, and closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed, all of the sixth years were up out of their seats, and crowding around the door. Draco opened the door a crack, in order to see and hear what was going on in the hall. The entire class was completely silent, straining to hear the professors' angry whispers. They didn't have long to wait until the voices of Professors Snape and Bacall were raised to shouting level.  
  
"I knew you were cruel and heartless, Severus, I just didn't know you were cruel and heartless towards children." Rosemarie struggled to keep her voice even.  
  
"My dear Rosemarie, I am fast losing what little patience I had with you, so I suggest you come to the point quickly before I get seriously angry with you." Snape's voice had taken on that soft, dangerous quality which still made Neville Longbottom wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.  
  
"You vile bastard." Rosemarie lost her calm, even, control. "I don't care how you conduct your classes, but when I hear from more than one of my students how you went out of your way to be cruel to them?"  
  
"You know, I never would have pegged Emma Bacall as a tattletale, but then I should have remembered who her aunt is." A slow, evil grin spread across Snape's face.  
  
Rosemarie's eyes "Severus, please tell me, how have you managed to get this far in life by being a complete wanker?" Snape's eyes widened in surprise at her comment, and faint snickers could be heard from the potions classroom. "If you have a problem with me, you talk to me, you don't take it out on my niece like a cowardly prat."  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed. "I should have known she would go running to you. You may find this difficult to believe, but not all the students at this school have an Auntie Rosemarie to run to every time Big Bad Professor Snape is mean to them."  
  
"The fact that Emma is related to me has nothing to do with this. Had any student come to me, I would have willingly taken their part in an argument with you. Especially if it meant proving you wrong." Rosemarie glared at his mocking face.  
  
"Well then. The student body is certainly lucky that they have Saint Rosemarie to come running to their defense every time someone reprimands them. With all this rescuing you have to do Rosemarie, it's a wonder that you have any time left in the day to teach." His tone was becoming angrier, and Rosemarie could have sworn there was a vein pulsing in his forehead.  
  
"Unlike you, my students happen to like me." There was another snicker from the classroom. "I can name you at least a hundred students who would gladly polish the school trophies with Flich than sit through one of your excruciating Potions lectures." Snape's normally pale face was flushed, and his black eyes were glittering angrily. Rosemarie could tell he was fast losing his own control.   
  
"Perhaps you would be kind enough to give me their names and put an end to this argument, instead of standing here and yelling at me like a Muggle Fishwife." He spat at her.  
  
"Now, now, Severus." She mimicked his condescending tone. "There's no need to go below the belt." As though she hadn't been doing the very same thing to him.  
  
The expression in Snape's eyes changed, and he moved perceptibly closer. Rosemarie felt her breath catching in her chest, as he moved his face so close to hers that their noses were nearly touching. "There was a time not too long ago, Rosie, that you didn't mind my getting beneath your belt." He growled the words so softly, that Rosemarie was certain the students standing behind the door couldn't have heard him. She had almost forgotten that when the two of them used to fight all those years ago, they would almost always end up in bed together.   
  
And Rosemarie could tell from the expression on his face, that he hadn't forgotten that either. "You're disgusting." Her whisper carried little conviction, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, Sweet Merlin." She thought to herself. "He's turned on." And Rosemarie was more than a little disconcerted at the fact that she was as well.  
  
"Maybe," He was continuing in that same grating tone "if you weren't such a miserable harridan, you wouldn't repel every man you meet."  
  
Rosemarie's eyes widened, then narrowed suddenly. She shoved him away from her, determined to mortify him. "No Severus, I do not want to sleep with you." Rosemarie said loud enough for the students to hear. "You're vile, disgusting and sorry to say, hygiene deficient. I'm sorry, but I'm not quite that desperate. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a class to teach." She let her eyes sparkle at him for a moment, before departing gloriously out of the dungeons with the sixth year's laughter and applause echoing around her. "And one more thing." She turned back to him. "If I ever hear that you were tormenting any of your students the way you did today, I promise that you will be sorry." Rosemarie gave him a meaningful look before continuing back down the hall. 


	3. trois!

Disclaimer: Unless J.K Rowling is a 19 year old American college student, I am not her, and thus I don't own them.  
  
A/N: I realize no one is reading this, so really, I'm just doing this for my own enjoyment. However, if you do happen to be reading this, a review would be nice. Hint hint.  
  
Rosemarie was only able to bask in the glory of her verbal victory over Severus for the duration of her class. Almost as soon as the first year Ravenclaws were dismissed, a very put out Minerva McGonagall appeared in the doorway of the classroom. "Rosemarie." She said brusquely. "Might I see you in my office for a few moments."  
  
Rosemarie felt the color drain from her face; from the looks McGonagall was giving her, Rosemarie knew she must have heard about her altercation with Severus earlier. "Of course, Minerva. When would you like me to come by."  
  
"Now, if you don't mind." McGonagall gave her another stern look. Rosemarie nodded in response, and began to gather up her wand and books. She meekly followed Professor McGonagall down the hall to her office. Severus was waiting for them outside the door when they got there.  
  
"Rosemarie." He smirked at her. "It looks as though you've gotten yourself into some trouble. For shame, you haven't even been here a full two months yet." Rosemarie just bit her tongue and glared at him in response. There was no way she dared say the things she was thinking while Minerva was standing there. She lifted her head slightly, and brushed past him, following Minerva into the office.  
  
"Close the door behind you, Severus." Professor McGonagall said from her post behind her desk. Once he had, all of McGonagall's pent up anger and frustration came pouring out. "Of all the immature, infantile and just plain stupid things to do! Did you stop to think that there were students listening? Now the story of how Professor Bacall ripped Professor Snape a new one, then turned down his sexual advances is already spreading across the school faster than a blast ended skrewt shoots fire." Minerva McGonagall's face was bright red. "Could you please give me some semblance of a reasonable response as to why you chose to have such a...graphic fight in front of students?"  
  
Rosemarie was speechless. Unfortunately, Severus was not. "Well, Minerva, I appreciate your acknowledging that Professor Bacall's behavior was completely unprofessional and unacceptable this afternoon?"  
  
Professor McGonagall turned furiously to Snape. "What makes you think I was just talking to Rosemarie, Severus? This situation would never have presented itself if you hadn't felt the need to exorcise your personal grudge with Rosemarie by verbally abusing her niece. As far as Albus and I are concerned, you are as responsible for this situation as she is."  
  
It was now Snape's turn to be speechless, while Rosemarie finally regained her powers of speech. "Minerva, I am so deeply and sincerely sorry for the situation I caused this afternoon. I acknowledge that I was completely out of line, and I should have waited for a more appropriate time to talk to Professor Snape. It won't happen again, I assure you."  
  
"Thank you, Rosemarie." She paused for a moment. "I believe I will let this incident pass for now, without a report or penalty. I know you see what you've done wrong, and as you've assured me that it won't happen again, there shouldn't be a problem."  
  
Severus was spitting with rage. "That's it? She causes a scene and mortifies me in front of my students, and she gets a slap on the hand? This is unacceptable, Minerva."  
  
"Then perhaps you should think of that the next time you mortify one of your students, Severus." Professor McGonagall said coldly. "Professor Dumbledore has placed me in charge of this situation, and my decision on the matter is final. However, if you wish to go and tell Professor Dumbledore that you feel he is wrong, feel free." Minerva allowed her words to sink in before continuing. "That should be all for today. You both can go."  
  
"Thank you, Minerva." Rosemarie said, before making her hasty exit. She didn't even stop to see if Severus had followed her out of the room.  
  
Later that night, Rosemarie couldn't sleep; all she could do was replay in her head over and over again her fight with Severus. It bothered her that she was still attracted to him-she knew what he was why did she still have feelings for him? Rosemarie was pondering this question over and over again to herself, when there was a soft knock at her door. "Just a moment." She called, as she jumped out of bed, and pulled on her bathrobe. Rosemarie opened the door and stared at amazement at her visitor. "What in the name of all things sane and reasonable are you doing here?"  
  
Severus Snape was standing on the other side of her door; his breaths were jerky and fast, and he seemed to be having trouble composing himself. His normally sallow face was flushed, and his eyes were dark and glittering. "I have had enough, do you understand?" His voice was low and strained. "Ever since you came back, this has been going on. You left me do you understand that? You left me. And I refuse...I will not feel this way!" he paused to catch his breath, and stared at her.  
  
"Severus, what are you..." Rosemarie started to say before he lunged at her. Severus grabbed her tightly by the waist, and pulled her towards him. Rosemarie barely had time to react, before his mouth came down on hers. He kissed her as though he was releasing all of his pent-up emotions in that one embrace. Rosemarie was furious with him at first. "How dare he kiss me?" She thought to herself indignantly, before her resolve weakened, and she allowed herself to be kissed by a man, who frankly, she still found incredibly attractive.  
  
Almost as quickly as he had begun, Severus ended the kiss. "I am through with you! This is it!" he spat at her, before turning on his heel, and retreating back down the corridor.  
  
Rosemarie stood in the doorway in shock for a moment, before angrily slamming her door closed.  
  
If Rosemarie couldn't sleep before, there was no way she would be able to relax now. For the first time in eleven years, she allowed herself to think back over her relationship with Severus. Even all these years later, it was still almost painful for her to think of it. Yet that angry kiss he had given her brought the memories flooding back.  
  
Rosemarie had been 18 when she graduated from Hogwarts, and had gone straight away into a low-level job at the Ministry that Professor Dumbledore had secured for her. Rosemarie had been made to understand by Dumbledore that she was to keep an eye out for anything that might aid them in the fight against Voldemort. Severus also had a job at the Ministry, only he was much higher up on the food chain. There were rumors circulating that he was actually a Death Eater and a spy for Voldemort. Rosemarie, as a result, was wary of him, and avoided him as much as possible; she had overheard suspicious conversations he had with other suspected Death Eaters, and she had caught him going through some Top Secret files.   
  
Finally, one day, her conscience led her to Professor Dumbledore; if there was a Death Eater within their inner circle, who knew what kind of secrets had been leaked. Professor Dumbledore listened to Rosemarie with a bemused expression on her face, as she told him about the rumors, and her own belief that they were true. "Rosemarie, I would never tell you this unless I had implicit trust in you." Professor Dumbledore had looked at her sternly. "Severus Snape was a Death Eater once."  
  
"I knew it." Rosemarie had thought to herself.  
  
"However," he continued "at my insistence, Severus has maintained his relations with other Death Eaters, in the hope that valuable information will be passed to us."  
  
"He's a spy?" Rosemarie had asked incredulously. Professor Dumbledore had simply nodded, and Rosemarie had thanked him and gone on her way.  
  
It was after that incident that Rosemarie's troubles began. Rosemarie had always found the idea of spying and reconnaissance, well, sexy. She had thought Severus attractive before, but had never allowed herself to act on her feelings because she thought he was untrustworthy. Now, the floodgates, one might say, were open. Rosemarie had fallen whole-heartedly for Severus Snape. She thought he had no idea who she was, until one day, without warning, he stopped at her desk to talk to her.  
  
"Hello, Miss Bacall." His low, lazy voice drawled at her, as he perched on the edge of her desk. "You're not giving me the evil eye today."  
  
"I...I'm sorry?" Rosemarie managed to stutter, in awe of the fact that he was sitting on her desk.  
  
"I would have come over to talk to you much sooner, except for the fact that you always had the most terrible glare fixed on your face. Do I really look that awful?" He leaned in closer.  
  
"No, it's not that, it's just that I'm..." Rosemarie felt her face getting red.  
  
"...a hopeless termagant, who hates all men?" He smirked at her.  
  
Rosemarie felt her embarrassment quickly turn into anger, and retaliated before she could even think. "That's a bit rich, coming from a man who still has something to learn on the finer points of personal hygiene and social skills." She gave his greasy hair a pointed look.  
  
Severus had merely leered at her. "I didn't know this one had claws."  
  
Rosemarie's eyes glittered, and her face turned a brilliant shade of red. "You are a disgusting chauvinist. Try treating women with respect sometime, it might get you a date."  
  
"Speaking of which, how about dinner tomorrow night."  
  
Rosemarie stared into his grinning face for a minute, before delivering her answer. "Get fucked." She said before returning to her work.  
  
"Oh don't worry, Rosie, I intend to." He leered at her again, before leaving. That had been the start of Severus' forays into the art of wooing. He was determined to get Rosemarie to go out with him, and when his crude questions only got him smart answers, he began to send her candy, flowers, enchanted cards that sang at her when she opened them, everything.  
  
He broke down her resolve in two weeks, and they were together for four years. Their relationship was highly sexual-in the early stages of the relationship it sometimes seemed to Rosemarie that it was all they did. Never, in her entire life, had she felt for someone the way she felt for Severus Snape. Once Rosemarie got past his nasty comments and smirk, she discovered that he was actually an incredibly sweet and romantic lover. When they were together, Rosemarie felt as though she was the most important thing in his life-he devoted his entire attention to her. As soon as their relationship settled down, and began to fit into an easy pattern, they began to open up to each other. Rosemarie told him about her family; how her father, a muggle, had been unable to get close to his children, and just distanced himself from them. Severus told her that he had become a Death Eater to please his father, but when he learned how truly evil Voldemort was, he had defected. There was nothing Rosemarie loved more than lying in bed with Severus, just talking. She felt so close to him, as though there was some kind of indiscernible bond holding them together.  
  
Rosemarie had been 19 when Voldemort murdered the Potters, then fled after he failed to kill Harry. A perceptible change had come over Severus then. Before he had been sardonic, and at times nasty. Now when they fought, he could turn cruel. In all fairness, Rosemarie gave back to him as bad as he gave to her, but their fights were always emotionally draining. In spite of the change in the tenor of their relationship, the breakup didn't come until three years later.  
  
Rosemarie had always had her doubts about Severus. She knew he had been a spy for Dumbledore, and as a result, had maintained contact with other Death Eaters. It was Severus' spying that had kept him out of Azkaban, but there were still times when Rosemarie suspected there were things that he wasn't telling her. He would disappear at odd times, and then never tell her where he was. She soon found out the reason for his secrecy. Rosemarie and Severus had been together nearly four years, and by that time and Severus had asked her to marry him. Dumbledore had offered Severus a job: teaching Potions at Hogwarts. While Severus really wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, he was willing to take what he could. The two of them decided to buy a house in Hogsmeade, so that they wouldn't have to be far apart. Rosemarie willingly quit her job at the Ministry, and agreed to take on the task of finding them a house. She had come home early one day, having found the perfect house for them: it was just on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, and seemed to be the ideal place for a couple just starting out. It even had the stereotypical white picket fence--granted the fence was charmed to attack intruders, but still, it was the idea of the fence. She had walked into their apartment happily, but soon stopped dead in the hallway. Severus was talking to Lucius Malfoy, through the fireplace, and there was something in his tone that made Rosemarie stop and listen.  
  
"...got rid of the rest in Knockturn Alley this afternoon." She heard Lucius say. "Of course, there are a few choice items that I'm going to hang on to- have to have something to pass on to little Draco when he gets older!" He laughed.  
  
"Just be careful, Lucius." Severus replied. "I don't want you getting caught with those things in your house, you know how damaging it will be to our cause, even though Voldemort has gone for now."  
  
"Oh, come on, Severus. We have never had greater security than we have now. They caught most of us already, and those of us left have all been cleared. It was brilliant of you to pretend you were spying for that twit, Dumbledore."  
  
Rosemarie could feel bile rising in her throat. Surely, Severus hadn't been a spy for Voldemort! "We still have to be cautious, Lucius. There is still valuable information for us. I'm in Dumbledore's inner circle, and I think it's best for us if I stay that way."  
  
"Fine, fine. So, when's your little woman due home? She's got a nice set of legs, that one."  
  
"Oh, not for a few hours yet." Severus had replied idly.  
  
"Why do you even stay with her, Severus? It could be dangerous for you, her being such a goody-goody. You're not in love with her, are you?" Lucius had scoffed at him.  
  
"Of course not! Honestly, Malfoy, you can be stupid. She's a nice piece of ass, that's all."  
  
"Oh, is she?" Lucius started to smile, his thoughts turning pornographic. "If you ever tire of her, send her to me. I could have a lot of ...fun with that ass." Rosemarie thought she was going to vomit right there in the hall.  
  
"Of course. She's still got some valuable information for us, but as soon as I've gotten what I can out of her, you're welcome to her." Severus' eyes were cold, and Rosemarie knew in that moment that he had never loved her. He was using her for information, that was all.  
  
Rosemarie couldn't bear to listen anymore. She slipped quietly into their bedroom, and hid in the closet. She knew Severus would be leaving soon to meet her for dinner, and in the meantime, she could decide what to do. Sure enough, a few moments later, Rosemarie heard the front door slam and lock, as Severus headed for the park where they had agreed to meet each other. Rosemarie snuck cautiously out of the bedroom to make sure Severus had actually left. As soon as she had reassured herself that he had, she flew about the bedroom, packing her clothes and belongings. She didn't even leave Severus a note before she dragged her suitcase down the hall to the fireplace. Grabbing a fist full of Floo Powder, Rosemarie took one last look around the apartment. She took a deep breath, stepped into the fireplace and shouted "Diagon Alley!" as she released the powder.  
  
Rosemarie took a room in the Leaky Cauldron, in exchange for which she cleaned rooms and waited on tables. It wasn't until she was alone in her empty, silent room that she allowed herself to cry. In spite of it all, she still loved him; Rosemarie wanted nothing more that to go running back to their apartment. The only thing that kept her away was the knowledge that he cared as little for her as she loved him. The next day, Rosemarie sent owls to her sister Helen and Dumbledore, letting them know she was fine and where she was. She told them she was no longer with Severus, and would they please not tell him where she was. Helen had replied back right away, telling Rosemarie that Severus was a git, and that if Rosemarie needed a place to stay, she could come live with her. Dumbledore sent Rosemarie a kind letter, telling her to come to him if she ever needed anything.  
  
About a month after Rosemarie had fled to Diagon Alley, she noticed that she seemed to be getting sick, especially in the mornings and around food. More than one witch had their meal ruined by Rosemarie's perpetually vomiting stomach. She had finally gone to a Witch Doctor, who announced that in about eight months Rosemarie would be a mother. Rosemarie was terrified. How could she be a parent? She could barely take care of herself, let alone another person. Rosemarie was also painfully aware of the fact that she was going to be a single mother. And while the Wizarding community was forward thinking in many ways, there was still a certain stigma attached to unwed mothers. Also, a single room above the Leaky Cauldron was no place to raise a child, so Rosemarie did the only thing she could: she went to live with her sister.  
  
Helen was very understanding, and had never said anything disparaging to Rosemarie. As the months wore on, the two of them spent their time decorating the baby's room, and doing other things to prepare for its arrival.  
  
Rosemarie was just two weeks away from her due date, when Helen came to her with a letter. "Rose, honey. Professor Dumbledore wants to see you."  
  
"How does he know where I...Helen. You told him. You told him I'm pregnant." Rosemarie shot her sister a look.  
  
Helen shook her head. "I just told him you were here. He sent me an owl not long after you left Diagon Alley asking where you were, and if anything was wrong. He was so worried I had to tell him. Anyway, he wants you to go see him at Hogwarts." Helen squeezed her sister's arm.  
  
"And how the hell am I supposed to get there?" Rosemarie retorted angrily. "I'm as big as a house, and there is no way I would fit on a broom."  
  
"He set up a temporary Port-key port just outside the back door of the school. You can go there and back in one day. I don't want to here any arguing, Rosemarie!" Helen quelled her sister's protests. "You're going tomorrow, and that's final."  
  
Rosemarie glared at her sister. "I'm going to go into damn labor at the school, and you don't even care." Rosemarie's face began to twitch. "Helen, what if I see him? He's teaching there now."  
  
Helen's face softened, and she wrapped her arms around Rosemarie. "I know, sweetheart. But it'll be ok. Trust me, Rosie."  
  
"Don't call me that!" Rosemarie pulled away angrily.  
  
"Call you what?" Helen was puzzled.  
  
"Rosie. I hate that name. You can call me Rosemarie or Rose, but don't ever call me Rosie again." Rosemarie angrily brushed a tear from her eye.  
  
"Whatever you want, sweetheart." Helen hugged her sister again. "Come on, let's see about a cloak for you to wear to Hogwarts. We don't want someone mistaking you for a pumpkin." 


	4. quatre!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the richest woman in England. If I was her, I would have better things to do with my time than write fic, and dream about Adrien Brody falling madly in love with me. (I don't own them.)  
  
When Rosemarie finally reached Hogwarts, the weather had turned cold and rainy; she was huddled under an immense, brown hooded cloak, which completely covered her body. She waddled-there was no other word to describe it-up the back steps of the school and into the foyer there. Professor McGonagall had told Rosemarie to meet her there-she had a class, and might be a bit late. Rosemarie was shivering under her damp cloak, and her swollen feet were aching. She desperately needed a bathroom, and she had been feeling these twinges of pain. Doctor Bombay had assured her that these twinges were normal, and that Rosemarie wouldn't give birth for a few weeks yet, but she still had her doubts. She had been on the verge of going in search of a bathroom, when she heard footsteps echoing down the hall behind her. Rosemarie turned, expecting to see the welcoming face of Minerva McGonagall, but instead found herself staring into the eyes of Severus Snape.  
  
"Can I help you, madam?" He asked, his voice cold but polite.  
  
Rosemarie was thankful she had left the capacious hood up-it left her face completely in a shadow. "Oh thank you, sir." She exclaimed, disguising her voice. "I'm here to meet Professor McGonagall-she told me to wait here."  
  
Severus looked at her, his expression confused. "I see." He paused. "I'm sorry, have we met before? There is something about you that seems familiar."  
  
Rosemarie's fingers were icy, and her palms were drenched in sweat. "I...I don't think so, sir. Unless you have my Tom in one of your classes." Please Gods, let there be a boy named Tom at Hogwarts, she thought to herself.  
  
"Ah, yes. Thomas is doing well this semester. You must be Mrs. Leonard" Snape looked as though he was going to say something else, when Professor McGonagall appeared from nowhere.  
  
"Severus!" McGonagall looked horrified to find him there. "What on earth are you doing here?"  
  
"Mrs. Leonard and I were just..." He began.  
  
"Yes, yes. Well, I'm here now. Come along, Mrs. Leonard. I'll take you to my office." Professor McGonagall led Rosemarie away quickly. "Honestly, after all the fuss you made about not wanting to see him!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor." Rosemarie whispered. "He just appeared in the hall while I was waiting for you."  
  
Professor McGonagall gave her a sympathetic look. "Albus wants me to take you right to his office. We've been worried about you dear-thank goodness Helen has been keeping in touch with us." She paused beside a stone gargoyle. "Fizzing Whizbee." She said, and the gargoyle moved to reveal a door. Professor McGonagall led her up the stairs and into Professor Dumbledore's office, where he was waiting for them.  
  
"Ah, Rosemarie. I'm so delighted you were able to make it today." He smiled kindly. "Please, take off your cloak. It must be soaked."  
  
Rosemarie reluctantly removed her cloak. She heard Professor McGonagall's sharp intake of breath as her very pregnant stomach was revealed. "Rosemarie, why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Rosemarie was exhausted. Her feet were aching, and the twinges of pain were getting stronger. She fell into one of the chairs in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk. "I was afraid you would tell Severus." Her voice sounded emotionless.  
  
"Rosemarie." Professor Dumbledore began. "I realize this is a very personal question to be asking, but it must be said. Did you leave Severus because of the pregnancy?"  
  
Rosemarie's eyes began to fill with tears. "No, Professor." She whispered. "I didn't know I was pregnant until after I left. Severus doesn't know. I didn't want to hurt him." Professor Dumbledore nodded, and Rosemarie let them draw whatever conclusions they wanted to about her pregnancy. "Would you mind terribly if I used your bathroom? I've had to go desperately all day." Her voice was shaking.  
  
"Of course, Rosemarie. It's just through that door." He gestured to a door to his left. As Rosemarie stood up, she suddenly felt warm liquid falling from between her legs. She stared, horrified, at the Professors, thinking she had wet herself.  
  
"Rosemarie." Professor McGonagall said. "I'm not a medical expert, but I think your water just broke."  
  
"I'm sorry?" Rosemarie was so tired she couldn't even begin to process what Professor McGonagall was saying.  
  
"I mean, dear, that I think you're in labor. Albus, I think we had better get Poppy in here."  
  
Professor Dumbledore was already at the door. "Quite right, Minerva." He turned to Rosemarie. "Please do not distress yourself too much, Rosemarie. If it turns out your labor is too far along to send you home, we'll make you as comfortable as we can here." He reassured Rosemarie, before leaving her in the care of Professor McGonagall.  
  
"It'll be alright, dear." She reassured Rosemarie, as she helped her back into her cloak. "I'm sure you'll be able to make it home alright. And though I know you would be more comfortable at home, Albus and I will do everything we can to make you feel at home here. We can put spells on the hospital wing so he won't know you're there." She paused uncomfortably. "Don't you think, Rosemarie, that maybe this is a sign that you should tell Severus about the baby? I know the two of you had your differences, but he really has missed you these past months. I'm sure that he would love to have you two with him, even if the baby isn't his."  
  
Rosemarie had reached the end of her patience. "Professor. I am exhausted and am about to have a seven-pound baby squeezed out of my body. Believe me when I tell you that I hate Severus Snape more than any other wizard I have ever met." Rosemarie looked as though she would have continued on with her tirade, if Madam Pomfrey had not entered the room at that moment.  
  
After examining Rosemarie and timing her contractions, Madam Pomfrey said Rosemarie could certainly make it home with time to spare, however she "strongly encouraged" Rosemarie to stay at Hogwarts. Rosemarie absolutely refused, and she was escorted back to the portkey port in moments.  
  
Helen was waiting for Rosemarie at the other end. "I already contacted Doctor Bombay, and he's going to be waiting at the house by the time we get there." She gave Rosemarie's hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Rose. Everything's going to be fine."  
  
Rosemarie had very little memory of her trip home and the moments leading up to the twins' birth. To her, it was just a haze of being sopping wet and in pain. The only clear memory she had was of being told that she was the mother of a baby girl, and to wait a moment, because it looked as though there was another baby still coming. Simon was born five minutes after his sister, and Rosemarie could still remember the overwhelming feeling of finding out she was the mother of twins.  
  
Rosemarie slowly allowed her mind to drift back to the present. To her, it seemed like yesterday that she was lying in bed, her emotions wavering between joy over her children and fear that Severus would find out about them. Rosemarie got up out of bed, and walked over to her dresser; in the bottom drawer were all her personal papers. At the very bottom, was an old, faded packet of letters-all of her love letters from Severus. Rosemarie wondered why she had brought them with her; even after all these years she still felt the need to carry them about. Carefully, she opened the first letter in the packet, and began to read.  
  
Rosie,   
  
You know you want to go out on a date with me-I'm the handsomest man at the Ministry of Magic. Let me take you to the Ministry Ball next Saturday. You can't resist me forever, darling. You may pretend to be a veritable man- hater, but I know the truth. I know you're just dying for me to take you out. You're gagging for it. Come on, Rosie; let me put you out of your misery. Come to the ball with me.   
  
Severus  
  
It wasn't exactly the most romantic letter Rosemarie had ever received but to her, it seemed to sum up her relationship with Severus perfectly. It wasn't so much about the romance, as the emotion that they hid from each other. Rosemarie took the packet of letters back to bed with her, and read through them all. It was hard to believe that Severus had never cared for her when she read these letters, but she had heard him say he never loved her. Without thinking, Rosemarie slid the letters between the leaves of one of her books, and huddled under the covers.  
  
The next day passed in a haze; Rosemarie was so tired she could barely concentrate one what she was doing. She was walking down the hall, thinking about her lesson plan for the first years and not looking where she was going, when she walked headlong into Severus. Rosemarie's books flew out of her arms and scattered papers down the hallway. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Professor." She apologized. "I'm afraid I wasn't looking where I was going."  
  
"That's just the trouble with you, Professor Bacall, you never pay attention." He glared at her, but still knelt to help her pick up her books and papers. "You're turning into a menace, woman." He muttered to her under his breath.  
  
"I've got everything, Professor, thank you." She glared back at him, her voice cold. "I'm terribly sorry I bothered you." She grabbed at her papers, and stalked away from him.  
  
It wasn't until later that night that Rosemarie noticed the letters were missing. "What did I do with them?" She said as she searched her room. "I was reading them in bed, and then I put the letters..." she paused "I put them in my book." She felt a cold hand grip her stomach. Could Severus have found them? Of course he had, Rosemarie was certain of it. It was so horribly cliched; what would he think about her carrying his love letters around with her after nearly 12 years? It was too embarrassing to fathom. She was on the point of going out to look for them, when there was a knock at her door. Rosemarie wasn't even surprised when she saw Severus standing on the other side, holding the letters.  
  
"Rosie, can we talk?" There was no trace of rancor in his voice now. Instead, his tone was soft, and almost loving.  
  
"That's how he used to talk to me." She thought to herself before answering. "What do you want to talk about Severus?"  
  
"Rosie. Don't play games. You know I found the letters, and..." He ran an aggravated hand through his hair, clearly attempting to verbalize his emotions. "I thought you hated me, Rosie."  
  
"Severus, I..." Rosemarie was interrupted by a noise from behind her. When Rosemarie had come to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore had installed a secret passage from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor common rooms to Rosemarie's room. That way, if Simon and Emma needed to speak to their mother urgently, they could safely get from their room to hers without getting in trouble for being in the halls.  
  
Emma was standing just outside the door of the passage in her robe and slippers. Her normally pale face was flushed, and her eyes looked glassy. "Mummy?" Her voice was weak. "Mummy I don't feel good. I think..." Emma stopped, horrified, as she saw Professor Snape standing by the door. Rosemarie shot him a quick glance to see if he noticed Emma's slip. If his expression was any indication, he clearly had.  
  
Rosemarie walked over to her quickly. "I'm not Mummy, dear, I'm Aunt Rosemarie." She felt Emma's forehead. "You're burning hot, sweetheart." She turned to Severus with an apologetic look on her face, but the damage had already been done. He was openly staring at the two of them now. "I think the fever is making her delirious." She led Emma over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Do you want to lie down here?" Emma nodded into her mother's shoulder. "Ok, sweetheart, I just have to take your temperature first." As Rosemarie got up to get a thermometer, she suddenly caught sight of the expression on Severus' face. He was watching the two of them sitting next to each other, and his eyes had gone suddenly hard. "He knows!" Rosemarie thought wildly to herself, as she put the thermometer under Emma's tongue.  
  
Emma's temperature was high, dangerously high, and Rosemarie began to get worried. "Emma, I think we had better go take you to Madam Pomfrey. Do you think you can walk there, or do you want her to come here?"  
  
"I don't know, Mummy." Emma's voice was barely a whisper, and her eyes were drooping. Before Rosemarie could even react, Severus had picked Emma up and started walking towards the door with her. Shocked, Rosemarie stood and followed him out of the room and down to the hospital wing.  
  
He stayed the whole time with Rosemarie while Madam Pomfrey looked over Emma. "It looks as though she's got the flu." She pronounced, before handing Emma a glass with an orange liquid in it. "Drink up, dear. It'll make you feel much better." Emma did as she was told, and soon fell into a deep sleep. Madam Pomfrey closed the curtains around the bed, then turned to talk to Rosemarie. "She should be fine by the morning. I wouldn't worry too much; children need to have these sicknesses young so they can fight them off easier. Now you had better get to sleep, we don't want two of our professors getting sick as well!" Madam Pomfrey shooed them into the hall, then closed the door behind them.  
  
"Severus, thank you so much...Severus?" He had already started walking quickly down the hall, away from Rosemarie. She ran to catch up to him. "Severus! Wait!" He stopped and turned, his eyes glaring. "What is wrong with you!" She whispered angrily at him. "I wanted to thank you for helping my niece, and explain why?"  
  
Rosemarie never got out the rest of her sentence. Severus grabbed her, and backed her up against the wall. "Cut the crap, Rosemarie. Who was it?" He hissed at her.  
  
"Who was what, Severus? You're not making any sense." She hissed back.  
  
"Who. Was. It." His words were bitten off on the end, and Rosemarie thought she saw that vein pulsing in his forehead again.  
  
"Who the hell was WHAT?" She nearly shouted.  
  
His eyes were blazing, and Rosemarie could tell that he had lost all self- control. He pulled her to him roughly, so that his mouth was right by her ear. "Who was it" he growled low into her ear "that you were fucking on the side while you were engaged to me?"  
  
Rosemarie was disgusted. She tried to push him away, but to no avail. "Severus, have you gone completely stark raving mad?"  
  
"We know it wasn't Sirius Black, he was in Azkaban. Was it Lupin?" His voice was rough. "Did you let Lupin do all the things you let me do to you? Did you let him touch you? Caress you?" He dropped his voice lower. "Did he know what to do to make you scream his name?" He stared into her eyes for what seemed like hours, and she knew he was thinking of what he had done to make her scream. She was starting to get lost in the memory of how good it had been, what it had felt like to have his hands on her, when his eyes suddenly lit up. "I know! It was Malfoy! We all know how our Rosemarie likes the bad boys. Tell me Rosemarie, is Lucius better in bed than I am? Does he know what a wildcat in the sack you are?"  
  
Rosemarie lost all patience, and slapped him across the face. "You are disgusting! What kind of woman do you think I am? I was in love with you, Severus."  
  
"She's your daughter, Rosemarie!" he was furious. "You thought you could hide your fucking affair from me by calling her your niece. That's why you left, right? Because you were pregnant with another man's child, or should I say Lucius Malfoy's child, you common whore."  
  
Rosemarie slapped him across the face again. "Don't ever call me that! You're a fine one to talk! I left, because I found out the truth about you, Severus. How you betrayed everyone on our side."  
  
"What in the hell are you talking about!" He glared at her, while cupping his injured face.  
  
"'She's a nice piece of ass, that's all.' I heard you, Severus. You never loved me; you were just using me. You were pretending to spy for Dumbledore, but you were really spying for Voldemort!"  
  
He stared at her in disbelief. "You believed me? Rosemarie, I was a fucking double agent! I was pretending to spy for Voldemort, while really I was spying for Dumbledore! Do you really think that if I were using you for information, I would have picked someone so insignificant and unimportant at the Ministry? Why do you think I went to all those Death Eater meetings? Because I liked the company? Honestly, woman, you can be dense."  
  
Rosemarie had had enough. "Look, Severus. I loved you, ok? Is that what you wanted to hear? Then fine, I'll admit it. I was head over heels in love with you. I would have done anything for you. I suspected you were spying for Voldemort, but I didn't say anything because I loved you!" Rosemarie's last barriers of self-control finally broke down, and she began crying. "I never had a "fucking affair" as you so eloquently put it. I loved you too much to ever do anything to hurt you. Until of course, you hurt me. And now if you'll excuse me, I have to get some sleep. I have a class to teach tomorrow morning." She shoved him away, and ran down the hall without looking back. 


	5. cinq!

A/N: Thank you so much Claribel for pointing out that my story was set only to accept signed reviews. I'm not going to lie to you, I feel kind of doofy for not noticing it before.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Never will.  
  
Severus Snape was in a particularly vile mood. The fury and irritation he had experienced so far this year were nothing compared to the rage he was experiencing now As a result of his, altercation with Rosemarie the night before, he had gotten little sleep. Her words continued to revolve around in his head, mocking him. "I found out the truth about you, Severus. How you betrayed everyone on our side." He could hear her voice chanting in his head, as he dragged himself to the potions dungeon. The woman he had cared about most in the world had cheated on him She had said she loved him, but those were just words. People can be easily deceived by the things they want to hear, and as a result, the truth becomes unimportant. Somehow, he managed to get through the day, at least until he had his class of first year Gryffindors.  
  
For some sick and twisted reason, the Slytherins and Gryffindors always had potions at the same time. It still puzzled Snape that the two houses, which had such a vehement rivalry, were always placed in classes together. He had been priding himself on how well he was getting through the day, when Simon walked into class. Snape felt his eyes narrow as soon as he spotted the boy. If Simon noticed the change in his Potions Professor's expression, he made no sign; by now he had grown accustomed to the fact that he was far from Professor Snape's favorite student. Snape gave the students their instructions, then settled down to watch the proceedings. His attention insisted on focusing on Simon Bacall. Snape was determined to examine the boy's features in the hopes that it would give him some kind of clue as to who his father was. "Dark hair and eyes, pallid skin," Snape observed to himself "if it wasn't for the dark hair, I would say Lucius Malfoy." But there was something about Simon's face that seemed oddly familiar to him. "It can't be Lupin. His eyes are hazel. Though there are recessive genes and all that." He paused to consider this. "Rosie's eyes are blue, but Simon's eyes are deep brown, almost black really."  
  
"I loved you Severus." Rosemarie's words kept running through his head. "I never had a fucking affair, as you so eloquently put it." Where had he seen those eyes before? They were so familiar, almost as though they had been his own...  
  
Snape sat up in his chair suddenly. He narrowed his eyes, and examined Simon more closely. That's why the face was so familiar. Staring back at him, was the face of an eleven year old Severus Snape, minus the lank, black hair. Snape felt himself stand, and speak to his class. "Excuse me please. I just remembered an important message for the Headmaster. Excuse me." It was as though some alien force was controlling his body, making him speak and move. As soon as he had made his way out of the classroom, he leaned against the wall for support. Simon was his son. He had a son! And Emma! Emma was his sister, so he had a daughter too! Severus Snape was a father! Rosie hadn't been lying when she said she was faithful to him. As his initial shock over discovering he was a father began to wear off, anger slowly began to seep into his consciousness. How dare Rosemarie keep his children from him! He was their father, and for all he knew, they could think he was dead or wanted nothing to do with them.  
  
He suddenly knew what he had to do. He set his face, and began striding angrily toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.  
  
Rosemarie was having trouble getting the attention of her class of seventh year Ravenclaws. Cho Chang seemed to be completely engrossed in the surface of her desk, and Nigel Waterford was staring blankly in front of him. Rosemarie slammed her book down on the desk, and the entire class jumped. "Honestly! What is wrong with you all today? You're as energetic as a bunch of flobberworms."  
  
Before her class had a chance to reply, the door to the classroom swung open and crashed against the wall. "Professor. Might I have a word?" Snape's voice was tight, and he looked furious.  
  
Rosemarie smiled sweetly at him. "I'm terribly sorry Professor Snape, but I have a class at the moment. And, come to think of it, you do to. Shouldn't you be tormenting some first years right now?"  
  
"I've had enough of this, Rosemarie." He shouted. "Outside. Right. Now." He dragged her from the classroom, and into a deserted room nearby. "You...you...lying, cheating, charlatan!" He spluttered, enraged.  
  
"You just said three things that mean the same thing, Severus." Rosemarie regarded him calmly. "Would you mind telling me why you disrupted my class and frog-marched me in here?"  
  
"They're my children!" He exploded. "I am a father and you didn't even tell me!"  
  
Rosemarie was silent for a minute. "What made you finally realize it?"  
  
"Simon. He looks exactly like me. I don't know why I didn't notice it before." He paced back and forth. "Why didn't you tell me Rosemarie? Was it some kind of revenge for the conversation you overheard? You knew how much I wanted children!"  
  
"I didn't know I was pregnant when I left Severus, I swear to you." Rosemarie's voice was barely audible. "I found out about a month after I left."  
  
"And you didn't even have the decency to send me an owl to let me know I was about to be a father." He said sarcastically. "Did you forget the address of the apartment where we had lived together for the last three years? Did it slip your mind in a moment of sheer madness?"  
  
"Severus, you have no idea what it was like for me then. I was still madly in love with you, and I thought you cared more about...dirt than you did about me."  
  
"Nothing you can say to me right now is going to make me feel sorry for you. You took my children away from me, and now they probably hate me. What did you tell them about me, anyway? That I was worthless? Good for nothing? I cared nothing for them? Tell me Rosemarie? How did you make my children hate me?"  
  
"I never said anything bad about you to them. I told them we just couldn't get along. They know we were never married."  
  
"Did you tell them who I was?"  
  
Rosemarie couldn't look him in the eyes. "No, I didn't."  
  
"But I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't say I was worthless?" His sardonic tones made Rosemarie flinch. He paused for a moment, and his tone suddenly changed. "What are their names anyway? Their full names, the ones on their birth certificates."  
  
"Emma's older by five minutes." Rosemarie made an effort to keep her voice calm. "I didn't know I was expecting twins, though I should have considering I was as big as a house." She smiled wanly at her weak joke. "Their full names are Simon Julius and Emma Calliope." She hesitated. "I...I named them after their grandparents."  
  
"So I see. Typical that you would put your parents names as their first names." Before Rosemarie had a chance to retort, he asked another question, his voice straining. "And their last names? Are they Bacall?"  
  
Rosemarie could feel her eyes filling with tears. "The Bacall was just for school. I gave them your name, Severus."  
  
"How touching." His voice turned cold again. "Well the Snape name lives on, doesn't it? And that's supposed to make me feel all better, isn't it Rosemarie? I'm supposed to walk away from this thinking to myself: 'Alas! If only I had not wronged her, then we could be a happy family!' and kick myself for being a prat. Well I did nothing wrong, Rosemarie. If you hadn't been so completely obtuse in believing me that day, I might have a family. But thanks to the fact that I chose to fall in love with a dithering imbecile, I have now lost the chance at whatever family I might have had. Thank you so much, Rosemarie. I really can't thank you enough." This time, it was Rosemarie who was left standing, as Snape made a sweeping exit from the room.  
  
Rosemarie could barely concentrate for the rest of the day. All she could think about was Severus and his reaction; she realized that he would be upset when he eventually discovered the truth about the children's paternity, but she had been surprised at the strength of his emotion. In spite of Severus' protests to the contrary, Rosemarie had no idea that he wanted children as much as he claimed. In fact, she had assumed he was averse to the idea of children. The question remained, what did she want to do about the situation? Did she want Severus to be a part of the children's lives now? If yes, how would she tell them that the professor they loathed was actually the father they had longed to meet since they were babies? Did Severus even want to be a part of the children's lives? Would the children even want contact with a father who was unknown to them for the first 11 years of their lives? It was all too confusing, and Rosemarie only succeeded in giving herself a headache. She briefly considered skipping dinner in order to avoid further confrontations with Severus, but her grumbling stomach finally convinced her that food was absolutely necessary.  
  
Rosemarie managed to sneak into the Great Hall without drawing attention to her presence, and she slid quietly into her seat at the end of the table. Snape had already arrived, and his sharp eyes had not missed her arrival. He stood, and walked over to her seat. "Don't worry. I'm not going to cause a scene in front of the entire school." He said, observing her horrified expression. "Just be in your room at eleven tonight. We need to have a talk, Rosie. Whether you like it or not." Damn it, she hated it when he decided to act masterful. His voice always had the most unpleasant effect on her. Well, unpleasant if you were trying to maintain an icy composure, and not fall into bed with him.  
  
Rosemarie barely got through the meal. She kept fiddling nervously with her silverware, and wondering what Severus was going to say to her. There was no question that she would be in her room--Severus would track her down if she wasn't, and the result would be even more unpleasant than if she had just stayed in her room. At five minutes to eleven, Rosemarie was pacing back and forth in her room, waiting for him. Much to her great annoyance, some mysterious imp in the back of her mind insisted on her tidying up her appearance before he arrived. She didn't go so far as to change clothes, but she did take off her teaching robes, fix her hair and reapply her makeup.  
  
Snape was one minute late. He knocked sharply, then let himself into the room. Rosemarie was indignant. "How dare you enter without my permission! I could have been naked!"  
  
He looked at her as though she was standing completely naked before him, and Rosemarie felt her insides melt. "There are worse things." His expression changed from lust, and became more serious. "I'm still furious with you Rosemarie, but I think we need to discuss this like rational adults."  
  
"Since when have we been rational adults?" Rosemarie scoffed.  
  
"Be that as it may, you have intentionally hidden my children from me, and I deserve to know why." Rosemarie got the impression that he was barely controlling his emotions.  
  
"I told you why, Severus." She sighed. "There's no point in my going over it again. The question that remains is whether or not you want to be involved."  
  
"Well of course I bloody well want to be involved! Honestly, woman! We just have to decide how this is going to work."  
  
"I think, then, that the first step should be my breaking the news to the children gently at first. They'll probably be very upset." Rosemarie realized this had to be the greatest understatement ever made. The children would be enraged, and that was if things went well. Rosemarie knew that this was something she had to do herself; she couldn't have the children finding out from some stranger, or even worse, Severus. "After they get a bit used to the idea, then you can come and get to know them. Hopefully, the three of you will be able to..."  
  
"...live happily ever after?" Snape's voice was sardonic. "Well I suppose it's the best we can do for now." He narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you really tell the children about me?"  
  
Rosemarie consciously ignored the fact that when Severus narrowed his eyes, he looked completely sexy. "The truth: that their father is a complete wanker, who liked to screw anything with two legs, a short skit and a brain the size of a pea."  
  
He moved closer to her, his eyes still narrowed. "You had better be joking, Rosemarie Bacall. Besides, you really shouldn't sell yourself so short." He grinned evilly at her.  
  
She gave him an innocent look that sent shivers down his spine. "Why would I joke about that? Simon thinks its cool to have a father that's gone down on everything except the Titanic."  
  
His nose was practically touching hers now. "Oh he does, does he? Do you kiss our children goodnight with that perfectly disgusting mouth of yours?"  
  
Our children. Rosemarie felt her knees weaken, but somehow she managed to keep her composure. "There was a time, Severus, when you didn't mind my perfectly disgusting mouth." She whispered his own words back at him. She heard him give a sort of strangled moan, and the next thing Rosemarie knew, he was snogging her brains out.  
  
"Virago." He muttered, as his hands ran up her back.  
  
"Prat." She retorted, her hands sliding up his chest.  
  
"Shrew." He was kissing her neck now.  
  
"Bastard" Rosemarie ran her hands through his hair.  
  
"Hellion." His hands were sliding up underneath her blouse, and had begun caressing her breasts.  
  
"Wanker." She fiddled with his belt buckle.  
  
He pulled away for a second, and grinned. "Only when you don't want to fuck me." Rosemarie pulled his mouth back to hers, and lifted her effortlessly and carried her to the bed. He paused to look at Rosemarie for a moment, and smiled down at her. "I've missed this."  
  
"Me too." For the first time in a long time, Rosemarie smiled back, before allowing Severus to lead her where she was only too willing to go.  
  
Afterwards, Rosemarie lay with her head resting on Snape's chest, his arm encircling her. She luxuriated in the feeling of warmth and protection that his arm gave her. She shifted herself to get a better look at his face, only to discover he was frowning. "Severus? Is something wrong?"  
  
He sat up, displacing Rosemarie from his chest. "Of course there's something bloody well wrong! Shit, Rosie, you kept my children from me!"  
  
Rosemarie felt her post-coital glow slowly being replaced by anger. "That didn't stop you when you had a giant erection, and needed to get off just now."  
  
"That's not the point." Snape got up out of the bed, and began searching for his clothes. "Yes, I admit I'm still attracted to you, Rosemarie, but you lied to me."  
  
Rosemarie clutched the sheet to her chest. "Oh, so it's ok for you to use me for sex, even though you can't be bothered to carry on a civilized conversation with me?"  
  
He turned around to face her, clad only in his trousers, and Rosemarie felt her stomach turn somersaults at the sight of his bare chest. "What do you want me to do, Severus? I've apologized over and over, and I've asked your opinion on how to reconcile the children to your existence."  
  
"That's just it!" He exploded. "They shouldn't have to be 'reconciled to my existence'! I'm their father! I should have been a part of their lives!"  
  
"Mum? What the hell is going on?" Simon had entered the room via the secret passage, and now had a confused expression on his face. His expression quickly changed to an expression of horror, when he saw Professor Snape clad only in his pants, and his mother wrapped in a sheet. "Mum! You're fucking Professor Snape?"  
  
"Watch your mouth Simon!" Rosemarie snapped at him. "Where you get that mouth of yours from, I'll never know."  
  
Snape had used Simon's entrance to hurriedly throw the rest of his clothes on, and his expression had turned cruel. "Oh I'm not just Professor Snape, Simon. Hasn't your mother told you?" He mocked Simon's hateful glare. "I'm your father."  
  
The color drained out of Simon's face, and he turned, horrified, to his mother. "Mum. It's not true, is it? He's just lying, right?"  
  
Rosemarie's eyes filled with tears. "Simon, sweetheart, I'm so sorry..."  
  
"Mum, how could you ever let that disgusting piece of shit touch you?" Simon shouted in disbelief. He turned disgustedly to his Potions Professor. "And how could you leave your family?"  
  
Snape smiled his vindictive smile again. "I think if you ask your mother, she'll tell you that she actually left me."  
  
Simon just looked at his mother, who could only nod. "I don't fucking believe this!" He shouted. "Professor Snape is my father? So that's why you wanted Emma and I to call you Aunt Rosemarie. And you lied about him leaving us! All this time I thought that he had deserted us. Thanks a lot, Mum"  
  
"Simon, I'm so sorry..." Rosemarie reached for her son.  
  
"You lied to me, mum. I'd rather you didn't hug me just now." Rosemarie was struck, suddenly by how old her son looked. "I...I need to go now." He turned and quietly left the room the way she came in.  
  
Rosemarie was openly crying now. "I knew you were a cruel bastard, Severus. I just didn't know how cruel." She buried her head in her hands, and when she looked up again five minutes later, he was gone. 


	6. six!

Disclaimer: ::looks at people seriously:: Come on guys, do I look like JKR to you? No? Didn't think so.  
  
A/N: clairbel, baylee-grace, maelinya, jilly-bean, Windy and J.S. Sumner-I heart you guys so much for your encouraging reviews! You cannot imagine how much they meant to me! Thank you so much!  
  
Rosemarie allowed herself half an hour to wallow in self-pity before forcing herself to get up, and go talk to her children. She slipped into the secret passage, and followed the route that would take her to Emma's dormitory. Maybe Emma would forgive her. When Rosemarie got there, the room was silent; all the girls were asleep in their beds, except for Emma. Emma was standing at the window in her nightgown, silently crying. "Emma." Rosemarie whispered. Emma turned around slowly, and stared stonily at her mother for a moment. Rosemarie felt tears running down her face at the sight of her daughter's face. "Sweetheart, please. I'm so sorry." Emma simply stood still, and stared at her for a minute before breaking down, and running to hug her mother.  
  
The two of them went back to Rosemarie's room to talk, so they wouldn't wake up Emma's roommates. "Emma, please forgive me." Rosemarie pleaded with her daughter. "It was selfish and unfair of me to not tell you about your father, and to keep you from having a relationship with him. Whatever my feelings towards him were, it was wrong of me to do that to you."  
  
Emma considered this for a moment before replying. "You know mum, when Simon told me, I was more surprised than anything, I guess. It's like, I guess I just got used to not having a father. Like, I never resented him or anything, I just accepted that it was how things were. I honestly never had feelings about it one way or the other. I just sort of knew how things were, and I love living with you and Aunt Helen. I never felt bad about it at all."  
  
"Emma, you don't have to try to make me feel better about it. I understand if you're upset."  
  
"No, really mummy, I don't mind. There's just one thing I don't understand." Emma had a confused expression on her face. "Why Professor Snape? I mean, he's vile!" She looked so disgusted, that Rosemarie had to laugh. "I know!" She began to get excited. "He was a different person when you first met him right? Almost completely the opposite of how he is now: charming, funny, polite, and handsome. And he swept you off your feet, and you were madly in love, and he was the nicest person ever. And then," Emma was clearly enjoying this retelling of her mother's love life "you found out something unforgivable about him, and you left. And that's when he changed into the man he is now. That's how it always happens." Emma nodded solemnly.  
  
Rosemarie had now completely lost control, and was laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. "Oh sweetheart, what kind of books have you been reading?"  
  
"Victoria lends them to me. They're really wonderful mum. There are some good muggle writers out there. There's this one book, about four women who make up a list about the perfect man..."  
  
Rosemarie cut off Emma's excited explanation. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, sweetheart, but your father was just as unpleasant then as he is now."  
  
Emma did look truly disappointed. "It couldn't have happened like that! Unless, of course, he has hidden depths. Sam and Jaine hated each other at first, but then they found out that they really wanted to jump each other's bones."  
  
"Emma, I think I need to pay more attention to what you're reading. If you keep reading smut like that, Merlin knows what kind of fake expectations you'll develop about romance. And where does Victoria get these books? If you want some good, romantic, Muggle books to read why don't you let me pick them out? You would love Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe Jane Eyre."  
  
Emma just shrugged. "Victoria's books are pretty good, but I don't understand some of the words in them. They use all these words like 'pulsing' and 'undulating' and I don't get them at all." She paused. "Mum? What's a blow job?"  
  
And it was at this juncture, thankfully, that Simon chose to walk into the room. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what the hell are you two talking about?"  
  
"Simon, where on Earth do you pick up phrases like that?" Rosemarie looked shocked.  
  
"Probably from the same place Emma gets words like blow job. I got mine from this kid, Ian Mulraney. He's a Muggle, and says it all the time every time something surprising happens."  
  
"I see." Rosemarie said. "Do you want to sit down?"  
  
He glared at his mother. "I'm still mad at you mum. But I think I deserve an explanation."  
  
"Well, that's just what Emma and I are up to now. Why don't you sit down, and I'll tell you the whole story." Simon reluctantly sat on the edge of his mother's bed, and listened as she recounted the story of her relationship with Severus, edited for content, of course. When she reached the end, she sat quietly while the children absorbed the information.  
  
"Well, honestly mum, I don't know how you could have fallen in love with such a wanker." Was all that Simon had to say.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Simon." Rosemarie said automatically.  
  
Simon gave her a small smile. "Who knows, he may have been a crap father. But then, I don't suppose I'll ever know." His tone was bitter. "I don't blame you for leaving him Mum. I mean, you thought he had betrayed Dumbledore to the Dark Lord! But really, it would have killed you to tell us who he was?"  
  
"Simon, I am so sorry. I know it was selfish of me, and nothing I can say will ever make it right. But your father does want to get to know the two of you. He...he has always wanted children very badly, and I know the three of you will learn to care about each other."  
  
Simon just snorted. "He's a complete git mum. You should see him in class. I mean, he made Emma cry! Twice!"  
  
"He's still our father." Emma's voice was quiet. "I'm willing to try, mummy."  
  
Simon sighed. "Me too, I guess. But he could have at least tried to find you when you left."  
  
"You have no idea how many times I've thought that." Rosemarie thought to herself. "Alright, I'll talk to him tomorrow. Now the two of you had better get back to bed." She said aloud.  
  
The next day was Saturday, and Rosemarie used her day off to consider her approach to Severus. She was livid with him for telling Simon the way he did, and she was determined to think of a way to punish him slightly. She knew he had every reason to be upset with her, but there was no justification for him acting so cruelly towards Simon. Years of fighting with Severus had taught Rosemarie that he had one weakness where she was concerned: sex. Any time they had been in a fight, all Rosemarie had to do to win was seduce him, or withhold sex from him in some way, and she had victory in the palm of her hand. Rosemarie smiled to herself. She rummaged through her drawers, looking for something sexy to wear. All she was able to come up with was an old black slip; the slip was made of a cheap silky material, and had lace across the top. All in all it was a fairly innocuous garment, but Rosemarie was determined to tart herself up. "Because a woman would get tarted up if she was attempting to turn a man on." She thought to herself, while attempting to tame her hair with a spell that made it cascade down her back, instead of exploding from her head the way it usually did. She found some makeup that she almost never used, and somehow made herself look seductive and desirable. Rosemarie nearly burst out laughing when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. "Wow! I'm hot!" She exclaimed in surprise. Rosemarie grinned, then started practicing seductive expressions in the mirror. By the time she finished, Rosemarie was convinced that Severus wouldn't be able to resist her. "If I were a man, I'd do me." She grinned at her singularly un- Rosemarie like comment. Apparently one went through a personality change when dressed like a common prostitute. Rosemarie put on her teaching robes, and buttoned them all the way down the front. It was 8:00 exactly. Severus would be in his rooms by now, grading papers or doing something equally boring. The students wouldn't be around since it was a Saturday night, and Rosemarie was confident in her ability to get to his office without being spotted. She found the pair of black stilettos that Helen had insisted she take with her, and slid them on. "You never know, you might need them." Helen had insisted as Rosemarie was packing. Rosemarie took a deep breath and surveyed her appearance once more before starting off to Snape's rooms.  
  
Rosemarie reached his rooms in record time, and didn't meet anyone in the halls except for two people-who looked a lot like Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley-snogging in a dark corner. Her stomach was churning as she knocked on the door.  
  
"What?" He said, angrily flinging the door open.  
  
"Well, it's nice to see you too, Severus. Mind if I come in?" She pushed by him into the room before he had a chance to answer. The door opened onto his office, and Rosemarie could catch a glimpse of his bedroom through a door to her right. "Your rooms are much larger than mine-I suppose it's because you've been teaching here longer."  
  
"Rosemarie, I'm very busy, so if you could please tell me why you are here, I would appreciate it very much." His voice was terse.  
  
"Someone is snippy today! I just came by to tell you that the children do want to see you and get to know you."  
  
"They do? You're not playing games with me?"  
  
"Of course not! Honestly, Severus! We talked last night, and while Simon was a little reluctant at first, Emma and I convinced him it would be best if you could get to know each other. Of course, its up to you to make the first move." She shot him one of her seductive looks, and was amused by his slightly startled expression.  
  
"Rosemarie, what are you..."  
  
"Would you mind if I looked around your rooms? Your bedroom looks so inviting! And that bed! I would love to try it out sometime." She shot him another provocative look.  
  
"Go right ahead..."His voice sounded strained as she sauntered into his bedroom.  
  
Rosemarie slipped through the door, and moved to a part of the room where he wouldn't notice her. Quickly, she slid off her teaching robes, and adjusted herself under the slip. "Please let this work." She muttered to herself, before walking seductively back into the office.  
  
Snape was sitting at his desk, grading papers again when she walked in. "Severus." She purred.  
  
He looked up from his desk, and his eyes widened in shock. "Rosemarie? What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"I would think by now you would know exactly what I'm doing, Severus."  
  
Snape was completely in shock, and at the same time, completely aroused. "I thought you were furious with me."  
  
"Years of living with me has taught you nothing." Rosemarie shook her head in mock sadness, and walked slowly over to him. He was openly staring now, and she knew she had him. She sat down in his lap, and breathed low in his ear. "Don't you remember that we had our best sex when we were fighting?"  
  
"Yes. Yes I do." He had buried her face in her neck. "Oh Gods, yes I do."  
  
Rosemarie smiled to herself as she felt his erection pressing into her leg. "Do you remember when you first got your job here, I said we needed to have a house-warming party at your office?"  
  
She felt him nod his head against her shoulder. "You don't know how many times I've thought about it."  
  
"How were we going to warm up your office, Severus?"  
  
He lifted his head, and looked straight into her eyes. "I was going to make love to you right across my desk."  
  
"Pity, we never did get to break your desk in." She paused. It was now or never. "Maybe we should make amends for that. How badly do you want me, Severus? How badly do you need me?"  
  
He moaned. "Rosie, I need you. Badly."  
  
"Tell me." She rasped in his ear. Success was in her reach now.  
  
"I need you so desperately, Rosie, I'm burning for you."  
  
"Are you dying with lust for me?"  
  
"Yes." Was all he could manage.  
  
That was exactly what Rosemarie needed to hear. "Good, you fucking bastard." She said as she got up off his lap, and walked towards his bedroom.  
  
When she came back in with her robe, he looked completely lost. "Rosie? What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? This is for what you did to Simon yesterday, you worthless prat. How could you do that to a child? To your own child!"  
  
"Rosie, please. Don't leave me like this. We can talk." There was panic in his voice now.  
  
"Oh no, I think we've talked enough for tonight." She paused at the door. "Don't mess with me when it comes to my children, Severus." She shot a glance at his groin. "I would recommend a cold shower for that." She grinned at him, before closing the door behind her.  
  
Rosemarie had gone two steps down the hall when the door flew open behind her again. "Oh no, not this time." Snape said as he yanked her back into his room and kicked the door shut.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Severus?" She demanded angrily.  
  
Snape had crossed over to his desk, and was now standing in front of it holding his wand. "I've had quite enough of your games, Rosie." He snarled at her.  
  
The fact that he was now holding his wand had not escaped Rosemarie's attention, and she was now acutely aware of the fact that she had neglected to bring her own with her. "Severus, I think we should talk about this. Please don't do anything stupid."  
  
He let out a short laugh at her comment. "Don't worry, I'm not about to attack you with the Imperius Curse. Its just time I did a little housecleaning." Before Rosemarie could even take in what he was saying, he had muttered a spell, which cleared of the surface of his desk completely. He laughed again at the expression on her face. "Come on Rosie, you know you've been thinking about my screwing your brains out on this desk ever since you walked in here."  
  
"I most certainly have not!" Rosemarie said in her most indignant voice.  
  
He grinned, and moved closer to her. "The lady doth protest too much. Rosie, you could have thought of thousands of ways to get back at me, but yet you chose to make a jezebel of yourself, and come in here and turn me on. Don't you think a little part of you was hoping I would do exactly what I'm doing now?" Rosemarie didn't move. "You know, Rosie, I have been dying for you ever since I first saw you here. It took all my resolve not to come barging into your room the first night you got here, and ravish you." Rosemarie made herself stand still and silent. "Every night I've worked late here, I've thought about you, and how much I still wanted you and needed you. Put me out of my misery, Rosie." His voice had dropped to a deep purr, and before he could say another word, Rosemarie had shamelessly thrown herself at him.  
  
Minutes passed without the two of them even realizing it, and they were so completely absorbed in each other, that neither of them noticed when there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Snape? Are you in here?" Remus Lupin called out, as he pushed open the office door. "I've come for my..." Lupin lost track of his train of thought when he saw what had been holding Snape's attention. A woman was lying, half-naked across the top of Snape's desk, with Snape lying across the top of her snogging her senseless. Lupin let out a low whistle. "Please don't let me interrupt, I just came for my Wolfsbane potion." He shot Snape a grin, only to be met by a scowl. "I just hope she's legal Severus, you know how touchy parents can get."  
  
"Bloody hell, Lupin! You know it's customary to knock when a door is closed." Snape was furious, and was blocking Rosemarie from Remus' view.  
  
"I did knock. Twice actually. However, if I had known you were so...busy I would have waited." He let out a mischievous grin. "It would have only been a few minutes anyway."  
  
Rosemarie let out a snicker, and sat up using Snape's robe to cover herself. "I assure you, Remus, he has much more...stamina than that." Her eyes twinkled at his startled expression.  
  
"Rosemarie! I haven't seen you in ages!" His grin widened. "So the old bull still in business, eh?" He winked and gestured at Snape.  
  
"Ole!" She winked back at him, much to Snape's chagrin.  
  
"While the two of you talk about my sexual performance, I'll go get Lupin his bloody potion that he couldn't have waited a few hours" he lay emphasis on the word "to come and get!" He angrily hoisted himself off the desk and stalked half-naked into his potions storeroom.  
  
"What you see in him, Rosemarie, I will never know. Especially when you could have had me." Lupin shook his head in mock regret.  
  
"Now, now. I wouldn't want Sirius to get jealous of me." She teased.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you, Rosemarie? Sirius and I are not gay! We're just really good friends! We like women! We love women! I can't get enough of women!" Lupin protested loudly, a pained expression on his face.  
  
"Remus, you know I'm just teasing you. I'm sorry if it bothers you that much." Rosemarie said in a placatory tone. "You know, my sister is still single."  
  
"Is she as hot as you?" Remus asked, the sparkle returning to his eyes.  
  
"Hotter."  
  
"Alright Lupin, here's your dammed potion." Snape thrust a beaker filled with a steaming liquid at Lupin. "Now, if you don't mind..." He gestured towards the door.  
  
Remus winked at him. "Just take it easy, ok? You aren't as young as you used to be."  
  
"Get. Out." Snape stalked to the door, and held it open.  
  
"Severus, did you know there's this thing women have called the clitoris..."  
  
The rest of his sentence was cut off as Snape shut the door in his face and locked it. He turned back to Rosemarie. "Now, where did we leave off?" 


	7. sept!

Disclaimer: I just came up with the O/C's. The rest belongs to JKR.  
  
A/N: I just wanted to thank you guys for your continued supportive reviews! I also have been reading back over past chapters, and I realized that there are question marks where there should be ellipses. I'm really sorry about that, and I'm going to try to fix it! I have a friend coming into town tomorrow, so I'm not going to be able to update for awhile. I'm sorry, it bugs me when stories I'm following aren't updated on a regular basis, so I know how annoying that is! I promise not to forget about my fic, and that I'll have the next part up ASAP! In the meantime, enjoy!  
  
"Severus, I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Rosemarie slid uncertainly off the desk, and pulled the slip back over her head.  
  
"No!" He practically shouted, his voice full of panic.  
  
Rosemarie grinned at the look of horror on his face. "Why Severus!" Her voice was filled with mock surprise. "I didn't know you cared! I was just going to say that I don't think you desk is such a good idea, and suggest that maybe we." She gestured towards the bedroom.  
  
He grinned wolfishly back at her. "You're a damn fine woman Rosie."  
  
"I'm going to go get settled. Why don't you make sure the door is locked?" She winked at him, then walked, hips swaying, into his bedroom and closed the door.  
  
Snape dashed about the room, shirt off and belt undone, making sure there was no way he would be interrupted again. He was just about to lock the door, when someone knocked sharply. Barely suppressing a groan of disgust, he yanked the door open.  
  
"I came for a talk, Father." Simon glared at him, before pushing his way into the room.  
  
Severus felt his stomach jerk nervously, but hid it behind an equally evil glare. "Well. What is it?"  
  
"My mother feels that Emma and I should develop a relationship with you, seeing as how you are our father. Because we love our mother, and want her to be happy, we've agreed. There is one condition though. You have to stay away from Mum-I don't want to see you anywhere near her. You've made her cry too much so far, and I'm not going to let it happen again."  
  
"And this mother you're so bent on protecting, this is the same one who lied to you about your father, and tried to keep you from having a relationship with him?" He couldn't help sneering.  
  
Simon's eyes darkened. "I love my mother, and I will do anything I can to protect her."  
  
"What makes you think I should listen to anything you say?" He snapped at the boy. "Not only am I your father, but I am also a Hogwarts professor. I do not have to do what one of my students tells me to."  
  
"If you ever touch my mother again, I swear to you I will make sure she hates you forever. Who do you think she'll listen to? Her adoring son or the man who wouldn't have anything to do with her for eleven years?" Simon's voice was dangerously low, and as he and his father glared at each other, they looked remarkably similar.  
  
Snape nodded. "You can go now. I'll make arrangements for us to have a meeting." He held open the door for Simon to leave.  
  
"Just remember what I said." Simon glared at him one last time before stalking from the room.  
  
Snape closed the door behind him, and locked it quickly. He paused before shaking his head to clear his thoughts and walking into the bedroom.  
  
Rosemarie was sitting upright on the bed with her robes wrapped tightly around her body. "I can't believe Simon said.yes I can." She corrected herself and smiled wanly. "He hates you."  
  
Snape let out a snort. "Because I'm his hateful potions professor or because I turned his mother into a Scarlet woman?"  
  
"Both." She sighed. "I was thinking that the three of you could spend tomorrow together."  
  
"So I suppose this means sex with you is out of the question for this evening." He leered at her.  
  
Rosemarie shot him a look. "Oh, that's romantic." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Do you think I'm going to sleep with you right after my son came in and threatened you?"  
  
"It's been too long Rosie. Especially when I think about all the missed opportunities. All the times I could have pulled you in here and made love to you." Somehow, he had moved across the room and was now right in front of her.  
  
"Severus I have to go." Her voice was little more than a whisper.  
  
"No you don't. You need to come." His grin was wicked. "And so do I."  
  
Rosemarie reluctantly pulled away from him. "I'll bring the twins by at one tomorrow."  
  
"Rosie, you don't want to go."  
  
She shivered slightly at the sound of his voice. "Good night Severus." Rosemarie nearly ran out of the room.  
  
At precisely one o'clock, Rosemarie ushered a terrified Emma and a belligerent Simon into Snape's quarters. "Hello, Severus!" Rosemarie said with false cheerfulness. "I expect the three of you will want to talk and catch up, but I had Simon and Emma bring their homework with them also. Simon, Emma, why don't you two go make yourselves comfortable?" Emma sat down timidly in a straight-backed chair, folding her hands in her lap. Simon glared at his father, crossed his arms, and threw himself into one of the armchairs by the fire. "Well, I had better be going. I have some tests to grade, and silly me I didn't think to start them earlier. Have a good time!" And with that, Rosemarie beat a hasty retreat from the room.  
  
Snape nervously cleared his throat. "Well. Since you two brought your homework with you, you may as well get started on it." He walked over to his desk, and sat down uncomfortably behind it.  
  
After ten minutes of deafening silence, Emma walked over to Snape's desk. "Father?" Her voice was no more than a whisper. "Would you help me with my potions homework?"  
  
Snape looked up from the parchment he was grading. "I do not help my students cheat, regardless of whether or not they are related to me."  
  
Emma's face got red with anger, and she reminded him uncannily of Rosemarie. "It's not cheating. It's called helping. Mummy helps all her students if they're having a problem with a difficult counter-curse or spell."  
  
"Be that as it may, I refuse to give you the answers. I'm certain you can figure it out on your own."  
  
Simon gave a snort of derision from his armchair. "Well maybe she could if our potions professor wasn't such a bloody, useless git."  
  
"Simon, come to my desk. Now." Snape barked.  
  
"Whatever you say, father." Simon spat at him.  
  
"We are going to deal with this situation as best as we can. This is not the way I would have chosen to get to know my children, but so be it. You can at least be civil."  
  
"As civil as you are being to us?"  
  
Snape muttered a string of curse words under his breath as he sat back down at his desk. He was still in a think cloud of anger, when he caught Emma staring at him intently a few moments later. "What is it Emma?"  
  
"I think it's so romantic, you and Mummy meeting again after all these years. It's just like something out of a romance novel. I know exactly how it all happened. Mummy told me."  
  
"Oh did she now?" Snape was amused.  
  
Emma nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. "Oh yes. You were a spy at the Ministry. Mummy was just a lowly assistant. She was charmed by your debonair good looks and cavalier treatment of the fairer sex. She wasn't like the other women you dated-she had a brain and wit, and challenged your sense of masculinity. You decided to woo her, in an attempt to teach her a lesson and regain your sense of manhood. Yet, in spite of it all, you found yourself falling in love with her. You were caught in a spiral of love and intrigue, until finally you couldn't take it anymore and you gave into your carnal urges. That's where Simon and I come in. She thought you betrayed her, but really you were just trying to protect her. You spent the last eleven years alone, wallowing in your misery and dreaming of her every night. Your one and only. Your elusive Rosemarie." Emma sighed in contentment.  
  
Snape was completely speechless, and his face was red with embarrassment. Simon on the other hand, was not. "Emma, where do you come up with crap like that?"  
  
"The books that Victoria lends me." Emma replied defensively.  
  
Simon shook his head in disbelief. "You have no sense of reality.  
  
"I do so! He must have changed since Mummy knew him! Can you imagine her falling in love with some miserable, crabby bastard like him?" Emma's face got red as she realized the him in question was standing behind her and glowering.  
  
Simon looked at her in astonishment. "I do believe that's the first time I've ever heard you swear, Em."  
  
Emma whispered something that could have been "I'm sorry Professor Snape" and took her books over to the farthest corner of the room.  
  
Simon, however, was nowhere near done. "If Mum doesn't fall in love with crabby bastards Em, then maybe you could explain to me why I caught this crabby bastard shagging her brains out the other night." He smirked at his father.  
  
Emma shot Snape a horrified glance before turning to her brother. "Simon, that's disgusting. You shouldn't say things like that about Mummy."  
  
Simon just shrugged. "It's true. He could barely keep his hands off of her."  
  
Snape had finally reached his breaking point. "Simon. I have had enough of your behavior. If you choose to behave like a four-year-old, so be it. I did not choose to have things up the way they did, and if I had my way, my son would be a very different person. I am trying."  
  
"Bullshit." Simon cut him off. "You just want to get back into Mum's pants, and you figure sucking up to Em and me is the easiest way."  
  
The old, menacing gleam returned to Snape's eyes. "Believe me Simon, I don't have to give you two preferential treatment to, as you so succinctly put it, get into your mother's pants." He paused for a moment, and against his better judgement, said what the evil imp in the back of his mind was thinking. "She's just as hot for me as I am for her, you know."  
  
Simon's face went dead white, and he would have surely attacked Snape, but for one small detail.  
  
Emma got there first.  
  
She flew at her father, screaming at the top of her lungs. "How can you say those things about Mummy?" She beat him mercilessly with her fists. "She has never, ever said anything bad about you! Even when Simon and I said you were the meanest teacher ever! You are a horrible, horrible man! I can't believe she ever let you near her!" Emma's final word on the subject was punctuated by her spitting at Snape. "Come on Simon, we're leaving." Simon just stared at his sister in astonishment. "Simon!" She bellowed. "Let's go!" Bewildered, Simon followed his sister towards the door, only to run headlong into their mother.  
  
"What's going on in here? Simon? Emma?" Rosemarie looked questioningly at each of her children, before turning her gaze on Snape.  
  
Snape's piercing stare faltered. "Simon started it!" He said defensively.  
  
"Oh for heaven's sake! I was hoping that you two would be able to talk civilly with your father, but apparently I hoped for too much."  
  
Emma was still furious. "You should have heard the things he was saying about you! Simon and I tried to get along with him, but it's hard to do when he says things like that about your mother."  
  
Rosemarie's eyes narrowed. "What things?" She asked, without turning her gaze from Snape.  
  
"He said it doesn't matter if he's not nice to us, you'll shag him anyway. I believe his exact words were 'She's just as hot for me as I am for her, you know.'" Simon smirked at his father's shocked expression.  
  
"Severus. May I speak to you privately for a moment?" Her voice was deceptively polite, and her knuckles were white as her hands clenched at her sides.  
  
"Oh no, we aren't going through this crap again." Snape was equally furious now. "You have something to say to me, you say it now."  
  
"I know your childhood was awful. I know your experience at Hogwarts was awful. I know you have lived quite possibly the most horrific life known to man." Try as she might, Rosemarie could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "But honestly, was there ever a period in there when you learned some rudimentary social skills? These, are your children!" She spoke to him as though he were a small child. "You don't try your hardest to make them cry within the first half hour of speaking to them." She sighed resignedly. "Maybe I was hoping for too much. I think we had better leave it, don't you?"  
  
"Leave what?" Snape's voice dripped with suspicion.  
  
"It's clear to me that you really don't want anything to do with us. Or perhaps, you just need some time. Whatever the case, maybe we shouldn't have the three of you meet again for some time."  
  
Snape's face was suffused with anger. "Fine. Take my children away from me again. You really are getting quite good at this."  
  
"Oh honestly!" Simon's exasperated voice rang out. "Do the two of you have to fight over everything?" Both of his parents and his sister looked at him with shocked expressions. "I hate him as much as you do Em, but this whole thing is getting pretty stupid." Emma just glared at her brother in response.  
  
Rosemarie surveyed her children with a dismayed expression. "You two are right you know. What kind of example am I setting for you when I fight with your father all the time?" She paused. "Maybe the four of us could try having a family meal together. No fights, all of us on our best behavior. And especially no childish insults." She shot Snape a pointed look.  
  
"You had better take your own advice, Rosemarie." Snape said through clenched teeth.  
  
She shot him a withering glare. "If that remark was intended to imply that I insult you on a regular basis."  
  
"Mum." Simon cut her off warningly.  
  
Rosemarie's sigh was both tired and resigned. "Very well." She turned to Snape. "The three of us will be here tomorrow night for dinner at 5:30."  
  
He shot her a look in response. "The Great Hall isn't regal enough for you?"  
  
"Well I thought, perhaps, it would be easier if our first meal as a family wasn't held in front of hundreds of curious eyes. Unless of course you want to announce to the entire school that your two illegitimate children are now currently attending Hogwarts?"  
  
Rosemarie saw Snape visibly bite back a retort. "Fine. I'll make arrangements with the House Elves."  
  
"See you tomorrow then." She replied with false cheerfulness, before taking Simon and Emma by the hand and leading them through the door.  
  
To say that the family dinner went well would perhaps be a bit of an overstatement. Rosemarie and the children arrived promptly at 5:30. The air was thick with tension, Rosemarie's palms were moist and her mouth was dry. Snape greeted them politely, if not a trifle coldly. Simon threw himself into one of the chairs around the table, and refused to speak to anyone. Emma slipped quietly into her seat and commenced a detailed examination of her plate. Rosemarie cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Everything looks lovely." She gestured towards the food.  
  
"Well, only the best for my adoring family." Snape replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Rosemarie's left eyebrow went up. Fine, if he wanted to play it that way, she was more than capable of competing. "I'm so touched to see that you're taking this seriously, Severus. You aren't being an arse at all." Her voice was equally sarcastic.  
  
"Quit it you two." Simon snapped at them.  
  
Rosemarie and Snape looked at Simon, but refrained from commenting. The room was completely silent for a few moments, before Rosemarie asked, "Could you pass the bread, please?"  
  
"Certainly." Snape replied. His eyes, however seemed to say. "You bitch queen from hell."  
  
"Thank you." Rosemarie's smile in response told Snape that she thought he was no better than a fly-infested cowpat.  
  
"Rosemarie, would you pass me the pumpkin juice?" His silk-smooth voice implied that Rosemarie looked like the back end of a bus.  
  
"Here you are, you smug narcissist." Rosemarie couldn't help herself, the insult just slipped out.  
  
Snape looked at her with a light of triumph in his eyes; now that she had insulted him openly, anything was fair game. Completely disregarding the quelling looks Simon was attempting to send his way, Snape let all his pent- up emotions fly. "A narcissist, am I? So what would that make you? Queen of the Harpies?"  
  
Rosemarie just rolled her eyes. "Severus, we've been fighting for over fifteen years, and that's still only the best you can come up with? You really are as stupid as you look."  
  
Snape's knuckles went white around the glass he was holding. "Oh yes, considering you were the one who was too dense to figure out that I was a double agent, and not betraying everyone our side."  
  
"Just as you were so astute in figuring out that I was pregnant with your children. I came to Hogwarts the day the twins were born you know. You even spoke to me. Only you were too much of an imbecile to recognize me and figure it out."  
  
"Oh yes, it really is a pity I have yet to master the art of mind-reading, considering it's something that very few, if any, wizards can do."  
  
Rosemarie felt her eyes spark. She knew how to put an end to this. "Oh, grow up Snivellus."  
  
In all her years of fighting with Snape, Rosemarie had never really been afraid of him, until that moment. The look on his face was lethal, and there was a sudden cracking sound, as the glass in his hand shattered. "How dare you use something I told you in confidence against me, you disgusting half blood?"  
  
Simon and Emma were terrified now. Their mother looked as though she was on the verge of tears, but at the same time, ready to explode. "Well, it's nice to know what you really think of me. Tell me, Severus, what is it that makes half bloods so disgusting? Is it that we're uncivilized? Does the Muggle half of us take over, and suddenly turn us into savage beasts?" She paused for effect, and stood up from her seat. Are we just so accustomed to living in filth" here Rosemarie picked up her dinner plate, which was still loaded with food "that we are unable to conduct ourselves with decorum?" Emma looked at her brother. Her mother really wasn't going to throw her plate, was she? "Well, I would hate to let you down Severus, since you were clearly expecting a show this evening." The words were barely out of her mouth, before she let the plate fly from her hand and crash into the wall opposite.  
  
Snape stood up from the table. "What the hell do you think you are doing, Rosemarie?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Crash! A dish went sailing through the air, and splintered against the wall behind Snape. "I'm acting the way a half blood would in this situation." A glass and a serving plate quickly followed the dish into death.  
  
"Rosemarie! Will you stop behaving like a child?" Snape shouted as another glass went soaring past his head.  
  
"I'm not behaving like a child, Severus." Crash! "I'm behaving like a half blood."  
  
"Your behavior is embarrassing, not to mention completely disgusting. Although, I should have known by now not to expect any less from someone like you."  
  
Rosemarie set the bowl she was holding back down on the table, and looked Snape straight in the eyes. Tears had started to run down her face, and there was food spattered across the front of her robes. "I may only be a half blood, but I would far rather be that, than a cruel, heartless full blood like you. I would rather my children be Squibs or Muggles, than have them be anything like you." She turned slowly, and left the room.  
  
Snape stood there stupidly for a moment, with Simon and Emma just staring at him. "What are you two staring at?" He snapped. "Go on. Follow your mother, just like always." When they made no signs of moving, Snape lost his temper. "Get out!" He bellowed. Emma didn't have to be told twice; she jumped out of her chair and ran for the door. Simon, however, stood his ground, and stared unflinchingly at his father. "What did you not understand? Have all these years of living with half bloods affected your mind? Get out!"  
  
Simon just stared at his father. "If you really loved her, you wouldn't have said that."  
  
"She insults me, and that's all you have to say?"  
  
"If you really loved her, you wouldn't have done that to her." Simon reiterated before getting up from his seat and leaving the room. After the door closed behind him, Snape stood staring at the damage in the room. He let out an anguished roar, and let the remaining glass on the table fall to the floor with a satisfying smash. 


	8. huit!

Disclaimer: Just like everyone else who doesn't go by the name J.K. Rowling, I don't own them.  
  
A/N: I would just like to sincerely apologize to everyone who has been reading this fic. I was in a play this summer and that pretty much took up all my free time, and once that was over, I had to get ready to go back to stupid college. I've been working on this part since mid-August, and the next chapter is already underway. I just want to warn everyone now that I have an unholy amount of research papers to do this semester, so there may not be as many updates as I would want. But really, 2 months is an unholy time to wait for an update, and I hope you all can forgive me! Anyway, enjoy!  
  
Shame. Rosemarie felt as though her entire being was consumed by shame. Her faced burned in the darkness of her room, and her cheeks were hot to the touch. She had spent almost her entire life being exposed to the stigma attached to half-bloods. Rosemarie had fought to keep the muggle side of her hidden. It was never something she was proud of, and as she got older, Rosemarie promised herself that she would never be ashamed of who she was. Knowing Severus and his family's opinion on wizards who were not pure blooded, Rosemarie had dodged the question of her heritage every time it came up. Severus had just assumed that she was a full-blood, until she finally felt comfortable enough to tell him. He hadn't said much of anything, and had just continued mixing up whatever potion he was working on at the time. He never mentioned it again, until that night. For the first time in years, Rosemarie was ashamed of her parentage. She was also ashamed by her behavior; how could she have allowed herself to cause such a scene in front of the children? Rosemarie could never forget the horrific fights her parents would have in front of her and Helen. Eventually, she had just become immune to it; Helen retaliated by becoming cold and distant, while Rosemarie had thrown herself into her schoolwork. She didn't want Simon and Emma to be exposed to the same sort of atmosphere she and Helen had grown up in. Rosemarie could tell that her attempts to reconcile the children and Severus to each other were doing more harm than good. If the children saw them fighting, it would only make them feel as though they had to choose sides, and if Rosemarie's hunch was correct, she was fairly certain the children would choose her over their father.  
  
That was the last thing Rosemarie wanted. The children deserved to have a father, and she had already screwed their lives up enough. She and the children had decided that the three of them would spend the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts together. As a professor, Rosemarie was "highly encouraged" to remain at the school over the holidays and the children had naturally wanted to spend Christmas with Rosemarie. She realized now that no matter how badly it would hurt to be away from the children for Christmas, it was the best thing for them. She needed to settle her unfinished business with Severus before she involved the children. Until the day he died, Rosemarie resented her father for the way he treated his family; as much as she hated Severus right now, she refused to allow her children to hate their father in that same way.  
  
So when Simon and Emma slipped into her room via the secret passage an hour later, Rosemarie told them they would be spending Christmas with Aunt Helen. "But Mum, I thought you couldn't leave Hogwarts over the holidays?" Simon stared confusedly at his mother.  
  
"I can't. I know that you two aren't going to like this, but I want you to spend Christmas without me this year. You already have too much hatred towards you father, all of which is completely my fault." She cut off the children's protests. "I hated my father, and the house I grew up in was an unhappy one. I refuse to have you two suffer the way I did."  
  
"What good is sending us away going to do?" Emma's tones were petulant.  
  
"It will give me time to work through my issues with your father. That way the next time we have a family gathering, I won't be inclined to throw plates." She allowed a wry grin to flit briefly across her face.  
  
Emma grinned back at her mother. "That was quite wonderful Mummy."  
  
Rosemarie made her expression stern. "Be that as it may, it was still no excuse for my behavior. Now, the winter holidays begin in one week. I already sent Aunt Helen an owl to let her know you two are coming this year, and she promised to make it one of the best Christmases you have ever had." She gave both Simon and Emma a hard hug. "Now go on back to your dormitories, we all have classes tomorrow morning."  
  
The next week passed in a blur. The only time Rosemarie saw Severus was at meals, and since that tended to arouse unpleasant memories of the last time they were together, Rosemarie really had little contact with him. She refused to speak to him, and it didn't help that every time he saw her, she was treated to one of his sardonic glares. Rosemarie managed, however, to control her burgeoning rage towards him until the first day of the holidays.  
  
For some reason, Rosemarie had won over her class of Sixth year Gryffindors. Ever since the fight between Professors Bacall and Snape outside the Potions dungeons at the beginning of the year, the Sixth years had looked on Rosemarie with something akin to awe. It was no secret that Snape loathed the class of Sixth year Gryffindors, particularly because Harry Potter was one of them. Rosemarie knew all about the hatred that Severus Snape and James Potter had for each other, so it didn't surprise her in the least that Snape continued the grudge with the son. So when Snape took it upon himself to insult Neville Longbottom by calling him "Even more dense than that sorry excuse for a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor" word got back to Rosemarie very quickly. She was determined, however, not to let him provoke her. Rosemarie knew exactly what he was doing-trying to find the fastest route to getting her even more furious.  
  
It was the last day of classes that was her real test.  
  
The day seemed to go pleasantly. If Rosemarie's students were whispering or gossiping behind their hands during her classes even more than usual, she never noticed. It wasn't until a very perturbed Minerva McGonagall caught Rosemarie on her way to dinner that she had any inkling that something was amiss.  
  
"What is it Minerva? Is everything alright?" Rosemarie was instantly alarmed to the fact that something was wrong, as Professor McGonagall had a distinctly harried look about her.  
  
Professor McGonagall pulled her aside. "Rosemarie, I thought you were going to be discreet about all this. Naturally it came as a great shock to Albus and myself."  
  
What on Earth was she talking about? "I'm terribly sorry Professor, I have no idea what you're talking about. Is something wrong?"  
  
Rosemarie was granted one of Professor McGonagall's famous looks. "It is all over the school that you were once engaged to Professor Snape. Bad enough that he is a member of one of the most influential full-blooded families, you are also the mother of his two illegitimate children, who are currently posing as your niece and nephew. The final little tidbit is that Professor Snape was seen leaving your room at 2:30 in the morning just a week ago." Professor McGonagall closed her eyes, as if to regain her composure. "Rosemarie, you know that Albus and I were disappointed when you had your falling out with Severus all those years ago, but don't you think it's a little improper to continue the relationship now, especially with the children so close by? I would have thought you would be more discreet about the whole matter, and not let gossip and rumors fly so quickly."  
  
Rosemarie was utterly horrified. "Minerva-Professor McGonagall-I swear I never said anything about the children's parentage or my relationship with Professor Snape. I wanted to be discreet about it. I have been discreet about it."  
  
McGonagall looked uncomfortable. "Rosemarie, I understand that, well, you cared very deeply for Severus once. Perhaps you have cared for him all these years. Perhaps now, seeing him suddenly, old feelings have begun to resurface." She cleared her throat, and a slight blush tinted her cheeks. "Obviously, you and Severus slept together, considering you have Simon and Emma, and I understand that naturally, when in the throes of passion, people tend to be less than discreet."  
  
This was too much to bear. "Professor McGonagall. Please, I beg you, don't say anything more. I am absolutely mortified by this entire situation, not to mention the fact that I am receiving a sex talk from one of my former Professors. Believe me when I swear to you that I have not said or done anything to draw attention to my relationship-past or present-with Professor Snape." Rosemarie chose to ignore the fact that Severus had been in her quarters a few nights ago and they had not been having a simple chat.  
  
"Very well dear." Professor McGonagall stiffly patted Rosemarie on the arm. "Perhaps you had better have a discussion with Severus about this whole situation."  
  
"Don't worry, Professor. I will."  
  
When Rosemarie had finally gathered enough courage to walk into the Great Hall, she was aware that most of the students were openly staring at her.  
  
Professor Snape, however, looked smug, and utterly pleased with himself.  
  
Suddenly, everything became very clear to Rosemarie. What better way to get revenge on Rosemarie than by airing her personal business in front of the entire school? Regardless of the fact that he had fathered illegitimate children, the story didn't truly mar Severus' character in any way. Like the Muggle aristocracy of years past, illegitimate children were an accepted part of life in the older, full-blooded Wizarding clans. Severus came from one of the most established families, so naturally he would have a few bastards running around here and there. Though mindsets were slowly changing, Rosemarie would still be regarded as a shameless hussy who spread her legs and threw up her skirts without a second thought. And since this was all happening right before the holidays, Rosemarie could bet that parents would be hearing about her indiscretions as well. It was only a matter of time before they started calling the school, demanding that she give up her post.  
  
Oh yes, Rosemarie would most certainly be having a talk with Severus Snape this evening. Calmly, Rosemarie sat in her usual seat next to Professor Sprout. The Herbology professor gave her a timid but kind smile before resuming her meal. Someone, at least, was on her side. Professor Trelawney looked at her from down the table, left eyebrow arched, as if to question Rosemarie's daring to present herself at dinner. Rosemarie returned her stare, eyes frosty, daring the Divination professor to say something. Professor Trelawney simply looked amusedly at Rosemarie, before turning back to Professor Flitwick. Snape never once looked in her direction, but his smug expression remained in place throughout the entire meal. Rosemarie knew she had to think of a way to pay Severus back for this new humiliation, but for once, she was at a loss as to how to proceed. He was familiar with all her usual means of exacting revenge, and screaming never got her anywhere with him. It never ceased to amaze Rosemarie that, where Severus was an expert at getting a rise out of her, she was rarely able to successfully rattle him. In the past, he always seemed amused by Rosemarie's insults and screaming fits.  
  
It was then that Rosemarie had her epiphany. Since Severus was clearly attempting to anger her further, she decided not to give him the satisfaction by reacting. No, she was just going to pretend that this little escapade had no effect on her at all whatsoever. That way, she would at least be able to maintain her composure, and perhaps irk that twit a little.  
  
At the end of the meal, Rosemarie breezed right by Snape, and out of the Great Hall with her head held high. Had she turned back to look, she would have seen Severus Snape watching her with a look of pure confusion and rage on his face.  
  
Rosemarie headed straight for Professor McGonagall's office. Since the Transfiguration Professor was still on her way back from dinner, Rosemarie waited patiently for her in the hall. "My, my, Rosemarie. It seems as though all your dirty secrets have been lain out for everyone to see." Snape's voice was a spine-tingling combination of mockery, and anger that she had not reacted to his mud slinging thus far. He leaned closer to her. "Maybe now everyone will see that sweet Professor Bacall isn't really as sweet and innocent as she seems."  
  
Rosemarie turned around and gave him a cool look. "Oh hello, Severus." She spotted Professor McGonagall making her way to her office. "Would you excuse me, I have to talk to Professor McGonagall." She walked towards McGonagall, leaving Snape enraged and staring after her. "Minerva!" She called loud enough for him to hear. "Do you have a moment? I need to speak to you about arrangements for Simon and Emma over the holidays."  
  
If Professor McGonagall noticed something was amiss between Rosemarie and Snape, she didn't let on. "Of course Rosemarie. Why don't we speak in my office? Severus." She acknowledged the other professor, before following Rosemarie into the office and closing the door firmly behind her.  
  
Simon and Emma left early the next morning with the rest of the students who were going home for the holidays. Rosemarie refused to let herself cry, until she was back in the privacy of her own room. She already missed them terribly, and they probably hadn't even made it onto the Hogwarts Express yet. Rosemarie had little time to indulge in tears, however. It wouldn't be long before Snape realized that Rosemarie had sent the twins home without letting him know first. She could hear him now, railing at her that even though he didn't have as much of a relationship with them as she did, as their father he should have at least been consulted in the matter. Rosemarie was not looking forward to that particular confrontation, especially since she was becoming less and less adept at controlling her anger. All of the pent-up frustration and rage that she had been dealing with since the disastrous family dinner was in danger of spewing forth at any moment.  
  
Sure enough, half an hour after the children had left, Snape exploded into Rosemarie's room. "What the bloody hell do you mean by sending my children away without consulting me." He said in the silk smooth voice of ultimate rage.  
  
Rosemarie forced herself to stay calm. "First of all, most normal people knock when entering someone else's rooms, they don't just burst in. Second, watch what you say, as there are still some students here. Finally, they are my children. Yes you are their biological father, but I am the one who gave birth to them, raised them, and basically did everything for them."  
  
Rosemarie didn't think it was possible, but Snape became even angrier at her words. "You took them away from me. I really didn't have a choice in the matter, you Bitch Queen from Hell."  
  
Rosemarie raised an eyebrow, and borrowed a line from one of Emma's favorite Muggle movies. "Sticks and stones, love."  
  
Snape let out a roar of pure rage. Before Rosemarie could even react, he grabbed her by the wrists, and pulled until her body was flush against his. His mouth came down hard on hers, and the kiss was filled with anger and lust. She felt that all too familiar surge in the pit of her stomach that assailed her every time he so much as touched her. She had to put a stop to this now, before things got out of control. For Rosemarie, sex had always been connected to love. While she believed deep down that Severus had loved her once, she knew that he really didn't care for her in that way now. To him, she was just one of many who were able and willing to fulfil his needs. The last time she slept with him was a mistake, and Rosemarie was not going to make that mistake again. She pushed away.  
  
He stared at her, breathing heavily, his eyes dark "You're so hot when you're angry; let's go to bed."  
  
"No." Was that thin, faltering voice her own? "No." She said, her voice stronger this time.  
  
He actually laughed at her. "Don't be silly, Rosie." His voice was like melted chocolate, and she had to try hard not to throw herself at him. "This is what we do. This is what our entire relationship has revolved around for years. Don't try to fool me Rosie, I know everything about you. I know when you're lying and I know when you're keeping something from me. I know that a finger stroked along your collarbone sends you over the edge, and I know just how you like to be kissed." He paused, and moved closer. "And the best part is, you know how to do all those things to me. Don't you know what you do to me? How could you not? I'll bet you even knew that I was hard as a rock during your fit of plate throwing. When I walked into the Great Hall that night, and saw you for the first time since you left, I was furious." He grinned, and pulled her up against him again. "Then I was just turned on."  
  
Twelve years ago, Rosemarie would have willingly fallen into bed with him after a speech like that. Now she knew better. For Severus, their relationship was just about sex-love had nothing to do with it. Rosemarie wasn't a child anymore; she was 32 years old, and she wanted more out of a relationship than just sex. Even if it was mind-blowing sex with Severus Snape who, despite everything, Rosemarie still wanted and loved deeply. Gently this time, Rosemarie once again pushed herself away from Snape. "Yes, you knew everything about me at one time, Severus, but don't you think that I would have changed somewhat in the past eleven years? I want more than just sex from a relationship; that's just not enough for me anymore. I need love. Fourteen years ago, a lifetime of loveless sex with you would have been, and was, enough for me, but it's not anymore. I fell in love with you when I was eighteen, Severus, and I don't think I've stopped loving you since. Even so, I can't settle anymore. I need someone to love me, and I know it's not possible for you to love me again." She gave a bitter laugh. "That is, if you ever loved me in the first place. You never told me you know, that you loved me. I used to tell you all the time." Rosemarie looked into his expressionless eyes. "How could I not? Love you, that is." Her eyes started brimming, and she had to look away.  
  
Snape stood there, saying nothing. Finally, he spoke, his voice as expressionless as his eyes. "Are you done now?"  
  
"Quite." It was all she could manage without bursting into tears.  
  
He gave a barely perceptible nod, then turned and walked out of the room.  
  
It didn't take long for Rosemarie to realize she was in a bad place. She had bared her entire soul to him, and left herself completely vulnerable. He knew for certain that she still cared about him, and that gave him tremendous power over her. To make matters worse, there was still the issue of the children to deal with. It was only just the beginning of vacation- plenty of time for Rosemarie to remedy the situation. The only problem: how to fix what was in essence, a situation that could not be fixed. Rosemarie sat idly in her chair, pondering over possible solutions, when suddenly a brilliant idea hit her. Suddenly, it was completely clear to her how she could regain the upper hand and prove to herself that her world no longer revolved around him. 


	9. neuf!

Disclaimers: I don't own them.  
  
A/N: What's that you say? I'm updating? Yes the time has come to add another chapter to the saga that is my fic. I just wanted to say that I have been sadly remiss in not acknowledging the two people who have been beyond helpful to me during this whole process. Ladybug11 and ElvenJen read everything before I post it and tell me if it blows. Ladybug11 always gives me the most amazing ideas every time I come crying to her that I have writer's block. ElvenJen tells me if the story is flowing and what is truly sucktastic. I can't thank you two enough for putting up with me! I owe you guys big time!  
  
Severus Snape was in shock. Rosemarie's speech had been completely unexpected. Call him insensitive or just plain stupid, but it had never occurred to him that his Rosie would have changed so much. Yes, damn it, she was still his Rosie, in spite of the fact that the two of them could barely spend two minutes in the same room together without fighting. "Of course she would have changed, idiot." Snape muttered to himself. When they had first met, Rosie had been eighteen years old and, in spite of her frosty exterior, extremely naïve. For Snape, what had started out as a game to rile the new girl, and maybe get in her pants, quickly became something more. Love was something that he had sneered at, and yet Severus Snape had fallen head over heels in love with Rosemarie Bacall. She had consumed him; he burned for her. Never in his life had he felt the way he did for Rosemarie. He still remembered the exact moment he had known he had fallen completely in love with her. It had been the night of one of the Ministry Christmas balls, and Snape had somehow convinced Rosemarie to let him escort her. Instead of wearing black, the way she did for every other Ministry event, Rosemarie had decked herself out in red silk robes. One look and Snape knew he couldn't live without her. It was true then, but how did he feel now? When he had walked into the Great Hall that first day, his heart had leaped in his chest; yes, he was furious with her, but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to pull her to him and kiss her senseless. He was even willing to admit to himself that he had intentionally picked fights with Rosie in hopes of getting her turned on, and reminding her of how they always used to "make up".  
  
But love was something else entirely different. Snape had allowed himself to love her once, and look how that turned out. It would not be easy to love Rosemarie again, despite the fact it was what she wanted from him.  
  
Where was she? Rosemarie should have long since made her way to his room for their usual bout of make up sex. It was standard operating procedure: they fought, made love, then fought again. It was a continuous cycle, but one that never ceased to tire either of them. "Until now, it seems." Snape remarked bitterly to himself.  
  
Rosemarie was staying away. It was the only way she could think of, to have a civilized relationship with him. Every time they added love or sex into the picture, their relationship became all the more difficult. It was time, finally, to move on. Rosemarie wasn't denying the fact that she loved him. "I've lived without him for twelve years, I can do it again." And who said she had to live without any kind of love or affection? She would get a house in Hogsmeade to live in this summer with the children-it was high time she moved out of Helen's home.  
  
Yes, Rosemarie was going to start over.  
  
He left Hogwarts early the next morning.  
  
At first, Rosemarie thought he was avoiding her because of the things she had said the day before. She didn't see him at meals, or in the teacher's lounge. Finally, after a day had passed without seeing him at all, Rosemarie began to think something was seriously wrong. Going against her better judgement, she went to go look for him in his rooms. Of course, he wasn't there. Something about the room felt different, however. As she examined his apartments more closely, it soon became apparent that Severus Snape had packed up a few items and left Hogwarts. Rosemarie felt the icy cold grip of fear close around her heart. She knew of his past; she knew all about his spying for Dumbledore, and how his personal safety was always at risk. Swallowing her pride, Rosemarie went to ask the Headmaster where Severus had gone.  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot give you Severus' exact location, Rosemarie, as you well know." Professor Dumbledore informed her an hour later. "He had volunteered to go on this mission for me last summer. I know that Severus has recently started forming a relationship with the children, so naturally, you would be worried about his well-being." Dumbledore gave her an enigmatic smile. "He will be quite safe, Rosemarie. The mission I sent him on was more of a-"he paused "diplomatic matter. I have not sent him into the path of the Dark Lord, I assure you."  
  
To Rosemarie, it felt uncannily like a similar conversation she had with Dumbledore many years ago. "Thank you, Professor. Obviously, I don't want the children to lose their father before they really get to know him."  
  
"Of course Rosemarie." Again, he gave her that knowing smile. "You know Rosemarie, I know you think your work for our cause was unimportant and insignificant, but you really were quite an asset to us. I realize you have the children to look after now, but we would always appreciate any help you could give us."  
  
Rosemarie was in shock. "Like you said, Professor, I do have the children and I would never want to put myself in danger." She paused, remembering the allure working for The Cause had for her back when she was eighteen. "Perhaps if you had something along the lines of filing paperwork-" Rosemarie let her sentence trail off at the end.  
  
If Rosemarie didn't know any better, she would think Professor Dumbledore was grinning at her. "I will certainly let you know. Thank you, dear."  
  
He came back on Christmas Eve. He arrived in the late morning and in the foulest mood imaginable. Rosemarie saw him, striding angrily down the hall, dripping wet, his bag, airborne, following him. Rosemarie gave an involuntary shiver, when she saw him. She shut her eyes to regain her composure, and her mind began to drift back to the past.  
  
"Where is he?" Rosemarie said for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening. It was pouring down rain outside, and Severus still wasn't back from whatever errand Dumbledore had sent him out on. "I'll be back in an hour. Git." Rosemarie mimicked Severus' placating tones, as she moved the curtains aside to look for him again. She heard a small popping noise behind her, and turned to see Severus standing in the middle of the living room, sopping wet. "You bloody idiot!" Rosemarie hissed at him. "You know you're not supposed to apparate here! You could have been seen."  
  
"I had no other bloody choice! But I'm fine, since you seem to care so much about whether or not I'm alright."  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Of course I'm alright."  
  
"Then will you please tell me where the fuck you've been?"  
  
"I told you. I had something to do for Dumbledore." "'I'll be back in an hour' you said. Well it's five hours later, Severus! Where the hell have you been?"  
  
"Rosie, please. I'm cold, wet and exhausted. I really don't have the time or patience for you to play the jealous girlfriend right now. I just want to take a hot shower and go to sleep. Tomorrow you can yell at me all you want."  
  
His condescending tone sent Rosemarie into a fury. "Oh really, that is typical! Clearly, I thought you were with another woman! I wasn't at all worried about the fact that you were out on some kind of mission for Dumbledore. It never crossed my mind once that you were a spy, and that Voldemort could have found out about your spying! No, I just thought you were giving it to some other woman, because that's how women think!"  
  
Severus just rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and headed for the bathroom. Rosemarie wrapped her bathrobe tighter around herself, and followed him down the hall. "You are such an insensitive chauvinist, do you know that? I was bloody worried about you, and you accuse me of acting like a jealous girlfriend." She entered the bathroom, to see him stripping his wet robes off.  
  
He turned and looked at her. "Were you really worried about me Rosemarie?" His voice was gentle, and he sounded completely unlike himself.  
  
To her horror, Rosemarie felt tears running down her face. "Of course I was." Her statement was punctuated by an inelegant sniff.  
  
Even though he was soaking wet, he pulled her into his arms. "Thank you." The kiss was soft and gentle at first. She felt a fire ignite inside of her, and it wasn't long before the kiss deepened. Rosemarie shivered. "We're soaked." She murmured against his mouth.  
  
Snape just smiled at her, and reached behind him to turn on the shower. "Well we should take care of that then."  
  
Rosemarie snapped herself back to the present, suddenly aware of the fact that Severus was staring at her. "Hello, Rosemarie." His voice faintly mocking. "Were you just going to stand there all day?"  
  
She was caught off guard. "No! I was just thinking about something, that's all."  
  
"Hmm. I thought I smelled something burning." He grinned at her.  
  
"Oh how bloody typical of you!" She snapped at him. "You would go and say something insulting."  
  
The grin disappeared from his face. "Sweet Gods, I was teasing you Rosemarie! Do you know where I've been these past two weeks? In some miserable shit hole with Black and Lupin, attempting to get along with the two miserable berks, who choose to forget the fact that I fought for Dumbledore during the war. No, clearly, I'm still an evil Death Eater who cannot wait until the Dark Lord rises again. So, I'm really not in the mood for your feminist manifestos today, Rosemarie." He shot her an evil glare before turning on his heel and walking back towards his rooms.  
  
"Well this is turning out to be a nice Christmas so far." Rosemarie muttered to herself, before heading back to her rooms.  
  
Rosemarie was lonely. Every Christmas Eve, Professor Dumbledore hosted a party for the teachers in the Staff Room. He encouraged everyone to dress up in order to "get everyone into the proper Christmas spirit." Rosemarie went to the party, hoping to get over her loneliness for the children. It didn't work. She sat in the corner, wearing an ancient red silk dress robe, watching the other professors laughing and talking as they became more and more intoxicated on the Muggle eggnog Dumbledore had ordered. Severus wasn't there either. Not that Rosemarie had tried to make herself look gorgeous for his benefit-she simply felt like dressing up. The door opened, and Rosemarie felt her heart leap in anticipation. Finally, he was here. Her excitement soon turned to disappointment when she realized that it wasn't Severus, but Remus Lupin. After being laden down with cookies and eggnog, Lupin made his way over to Rosemarie's corner. "Happy Christmas Rosemarie!" He settled down in the chair next to her. "I had to come for my Wolfsbane potion, and Dumbledore insisted I join the party."  
  
Rosemarie had never been happier to see him. "I'm glad to see you, Remus. I'm feeling a little down tonight." Before she realized what was happening, Rosemarie found herself telling Lupin everything that was bothering her. "And the worst part is, no matter how much I keep telling myself I need to move on, I can't."  
  
Lupin looked at her for a moment. He was about to say something, when his attention was distracted by someone entering the room. "Don't look now, but I believe Severus just came in."  
  
Rosemarie felt the color drain from her face. "Oh Gods, Remus, what should I do?"  
  
Remus' eyes twinkled devilishly. "Well for starters, let's give him something to think about." And before Rosemarie could say anything, he grabbed her by the shoulders and started kissing her.  
  
Rosemarie sighed. Remus certainly knew what he was doing, but it just lacked that zing she always felt with Severus. Still, it was nice to have someone paying attention to her. She was finally starting to relax, and get into the kiss, when she heard someone clearing their throat loudly and angrily.  
  
"Lupin. I never thought you would fall victim to the village slut." Snape's icy voice filled Rosemarie's ears. 


	10. dix!

Disclaimer: I have like a dollar in my bank account. If I owned Harry Potter like JK Rowling, then I would have a lot more than a dollar in there.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated! Never fear though, the semester is almost over so I'll have more time to devote to writing. I would really appreciate any feedback you guys can give me...ahem. ::innocent smile::  
  
The entire room went silent. When Rosemarie and Severus had their fight in the Potions Dungeon, word had spread quickly that a fight between Professors Bacall and Snape was worth seeing. No one, regardless of how distinguished they were, wanted to miss what was about to come.  
  
Rosemarie felt the sting. Oh yes, it was clear Severus still had the power to hurt her, but she was determined not to let the pain show. Rosemarie arched an eyebrow, and gave him a cool look. "Really, Severus. I would have expected something much more original from you. You really have gotten soft in your old age."   
  
Snape's expression became even angrier. "It didn't take long for you to shove your tongue down someone else's throat. I should have given you to Malfoy when I had the chance."  
  
"Given me to Malfoy? Given me to Malfoy? I was unaware I was just some object that could be traded and bartered with. Tell me Severus, what would you have gotten for me? Another whore I hope, since clearly that's all I ever was to you."  
  
"When will you ever learn, woman?" He shouted at her. "What is your obsession with accusing me of never loving you? How many times do I have to tell you? Do I need to tell you again, considering you're so incredibly dense? Fine." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "I have been in love with you since the first time you called me an arrogant prat. Do you have any idea what the last twelve years have been like for me? Loving you, and knowing you didn't want me? The only thing that's worse is having you here, and knowing I can't have you."  
  
"Yes, I know what that's like." Rosemarie was unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "It wasn't exactly the happiest time of my life either." The entire room was watching with bated breath, and she suddenly became aware that the two of them had quickly become the center of attention. "Would it be possible for us to continue this conversation later when we don't have such a rapt audience?" She muttered under her breath.  
  
"Typical Bacall avoidance tactics. Are you afraid people will discover something unsavory about you?"  
  
"Oh this is getting bloody ridiculous. I refuse to discuss this with everyone staring at us. When you decide to grow up, Severus, you can come find me." Rosemarie shut her eyes in exasperation, and stumbled out of the room.  
  
Rosemarie heard later that after she had left the room, Severus had stared blankly at the door for a minute, before turning and smashing his fist into Lupin's face.   
  
All Rosemarie wanted to do was curl up in the fetal position on her bed, and just sleep. She wanted to sleep forever, and never wake up to deal with the burdens hanging over her head-particularly the one dealing with Severus saying he still loved her. Rosemarie didn't even want to think about it. Who really cared that it was Christmas Eve-Rosemarie just wanted to be alone.  
  
Her evening of solitude and quiet was not to be. Just half an hour after she crawled miserably into bed, there was a sharp knock on Rosemarie's door. Professor McGonagall was standing on the other side, and agitated expression on her face. "Albus needs to see you, my dear. It's urgent."  
  
Rosemarie felt her heart turn over in her chest. "Is it the children? Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, no, nothing like that," McGonagall hesitated. "I think it has something to do with The Cause."  
  
This time, Rosemarie's heart jumped with excitement, not fear. "I'll be right there."  
  
Half an hour later, she was sitting in Dumbledore's office, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Professor, I know I said I wanted to help, but I honestly cannot do this."  
  
The Headmaster's expression was benevolent. "I have faith in you Rosemarie. I am sure you and Severus will be able to execute the plan perfectly."  
  
That was the problem right there: Severus. "Perhaps Remus or Sirius would like to go instead." Her voice was pleading now.   
  
"I need people with skill who will be able to move undetected through areas controlled by Voldemort's supporters. If I sent Sirius and Remus, they would draw too much attention. Severus is still recognized by the Death Eaters as one of them, and you have been out of the game long enough not to be immediately noticed. Both of you have the skills and precision necessary for this job."  
  
Rosemarie was at a loss. There was no way she could refuse Dumbledore-she owed him too much for all he had done for her and the children. She sighed resignedly. "What time do we leave?"  
  
"As early as possible tomorrow morning. Severus made it clear the earlier in the day the two of you reach the Highlands the better."  
  
"The Highlands?" Rosemarie's voice was pitched much higher than normal.   
  
"Yes, I'm sending the two of you to Scotland."  
  
It was still dark out, when Rosemarie made her way downstairs to meet Severus. He was pacing back and forth at the foot of the main staircase. "It bloody well took you long enough." He snapped, before heading for the castle doors.  
  
"Well excuse me for only having three hours to gather my supplies, and prepare myself for the journey."  
  
Snape rolled his eyes. "The trip should take us about an hour. I trust that pitiful excuse for a broom will make it all the way?"  
  
Rosemarie glared at him. "It may be a little beaten up, but it's still a Nimbus 2000. It's Helen's." She replied defensively.  
  
"Just make sure you can keep up," was all he said before impatiently mounting his broom and taking off gracefully from the ground.  
  
Rosemarie was nearly frozen by the time she and Severus landed. In her hurry to leave, she had forgotten to place a warming charm on her cloak and mittens. She and Severus were standing in front of a dilapidated cabin right where a forest and meadow met. The scenery was beautiful, but Rosemarie was less than enthusiastic about the cabin. Bad enough she had to spend a week in Scotland with Severus, but now she had to live in a rat-infested cabin as well. She turned to admire the meadow, and felt her breath catch in her chest at its simple beauty. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, its rays glinting on the ice and snow. Gods, it was beautiful here. It would have been the perfect spot for...  
  
No, she wouldn't think about that now. There was work that needed to get done. "Rosemarie, are you going to come in, or are you just going to stand there like a imbecile all day?"  
  
Rosemarie let out an irritated sigh. She may as well get it over with. "I can deal with the fact that I have to spend a week in the middle of nowhere with you, but this cabin is just adding insult to injury."  
  
His mouth twitched into the beginnings of a grin. "Why Rosemarie, what kind of wizard do you take me for?"  
  
The inside of the cabin looked like a scene out of a Muggle home-decorating catalogue. The main room boasted overstuffed couches and chairs, and the largest fireplace Rosemarie had ever seen. There was a small round table in the corner, which was flanked by two chairs. Three open doors were spaced evenly along the left side of the cabin. Rosemarie peeked into the first room, which was clearly the master bedroom. The bedroom had a queen-size bed, as well as its own bathroom. "The other two rooms are the kitchen and another bedroom." Severus said from behind her.  
  
Rosemarie jumped. "I didn't hear you come in. This cabin is beautiful. Is it Dumbledore's or is it the home of someone involved in The Cause."  
  
He looked at her, and unreadable expression in his eyes. "It's mine. Been in my family for years. Come on, we had better look over the lists and see what we need to gather."  
  
"It's yours? Been in your family for years?" Rosemarie's voice rose an octave. "Why didn't you ever tell me about it?"  
  
"Because not everything was your business, Rosemarie," He turned to face her. "You kept things from me. That happens sometimes in a relationship. Especially a relationship that was as dysfunctional as ours. Now, are you willing to get to work, or do you want to sit here for another hour pouting and fuming?"  
  
Rosemarie couldn't think of a single smart retort. She was suddenly overcome by images of her and Severus lying in that massive queen-size bed together. Oh, Gods, this was the last thing she needed now. Without saying a word, she pushed past him into the main room.   
  
It was the fresh air; that was only reasonable explanation. The entire time Rosemarie was getting ready for bed she kept looking towards the closed bedroom door, waiting for Severus to come in and ravish her. Blessed Lady, she wanted him to come in and ravish her. Sighing in defeat, Rosemarie pulled on her flannel nightgown and crawled in between the chilly sheets. She had Severus had spent nearly the entire day poring over endless lists of supplies, dividing them into categories, then subdividing them again by the region in which they were located. To keep from going stark staring mad, Rosemarie had tried to start up various conversations-most of which ended up dwindling into uncomfortable silence. "I wasn't aware Voldemort had holdings and followers as far north as Scotland," she had said at one point.  
  
He looked up from his list, and gave her a wry smile. "Voldemort has followers everywhere, especially in Scotland. Many of the rare plants that are needed for potions can be found here, particularly those associated with the dark arts. But then you should know that, considering you do teach the defenses," there was a trace of bitterness in his voice, and Rosemarie decided to leave well enough alone. She suspected that Severus' past connection to Voldemort had something to do with Dumbledore's reluctance to give him the position. Perhaps it was more to protect Severus than to prevent him from returning to the Dark Lord's fold.   
  
And now here she was, cold and lonely, in a queen-size bed in Scotland. Rosemarie and Helen had spent countless summers here with their maternal Grandmother. The two of them had been allowed to run free for the most part during the day, and then at night, Granny would give them astronomy lessons. One night, when the planets had been in certain crucial locations, Granny had told her and Helen their futures. One at a time, she had taken them up to the roof and revealed the secrets of the night sky. "Now Dolly, you see where Venus is? That means a great love for you. Leo-the lion- dominates the sky tonight. There will be pain and great battles for you to fight as well," Granny had paused then, a strange look on her face. "That's odd. Gemini is plain view. It should have long since passed. The twins-twins with opposite personalities-represent Gemini. Can you see them over to the left, Dolly? Yes, there will be a great deal of love in your life, but you must be patient my dear. Come now, its Helen's turn to hear her future."  
  
What Granny had predicted for Helen, Rosemarie never found out. "I don't believe in all that divination nonsense anyway," Helen had muttered when she came to bed. "Wolfman indeed!"   
  
Rosemarie sighed, and rolled over onto her stomach. She and Severus had a full day tomorrow. They were leaving early to gather Fir Berries, and if the task was anything like the way Rosemarie remembered, it was going to be a miserable morning. 


	11. Apology

I just wanted to post this quick apology for not having updated in about six months. I have been dealing with a God-awful case of writer's block, and I every time I sit down to write more, I pretty much want to rip my hair out. I have been working on it again over the past few days, and there will be an update coming soon, I PROMISE! I am so, so, so sorry for leaving you guys hanging, and I'll so the best I can to wrap it all up. I really appreciate all of your reviews. It means a lot to me that you guys are still reading and taking the time to review. I'm sorry! 


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